• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechCybersecurity

This popular password security company just said it was hacked

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 15, 2015, 4:49 PM ET

LastPass, the Fairfax, Va-based company behind one of the most popular password management tools, announced Monday that it had suffered a security breach.

CEO and co-founder Joe Siegrist said on the company blog that the LastPass team detected an intrusion on its systems last week. “We want to notify our community that on Friday, our team discovered and blocked suspicious activity on our network,” he wrote. “In our investigation, we have found no evidence that encrypted user vault data was taken, nor that LastPass user accounts were accessed. The investigation has shown, however, that LastPass account email addresses, password reminders, server per user salts, and authentication hashes were compromised.”

LastPass lets its users store encrypted versions of their passwords for all their online accounts on servers in the cloud, sealing them off behind one master password. The tool offers people the ability to rely on one super strong passcode, rather than having to remember dozens of such codes of across the web.

The LastPass team has urged the users of its service to change their master passwords as soon as possible. It also recommends that its users strengthen their authentication procedures by adding a device-specific step: “We are requiring that all users who are logging in from a new device or IP address first verify their account by email, unless you have multifactor authentication enabled,” Siegrist wrote. (Recently, the photo sharing app Snapchat announced that it would adopt two-factor authentication. And the car service Uber is reportedly exploring new verification measures, too.)

LastPass said that “encrypted user data was not taken,” and that “you do not need to change your passwords on sites stored in your LastPass vault.” For those who have reused their master password on other sites, however, the company recommends replacing those passwords.

“We are confident that our encryption measures are sufficient to protect the vast majority of users,” Siegrist wrote in his blog post. “Nonetheless, we are taking additional measures to ensure that your data remains secure, and users will be notified via email.”

Currently, the website is flooded with inquiries related to the breach. “Sorry, but we are currently experiencing an extremely high volume of support tickets due to our recent security announcement,” its contact page reads. “Please be patient while we try to respond to your questions and issues as quickly as possible. Anticipated wait times for non-critical issues are currently 3 days for Premium and over 5 days for free users.”

Fortune has contacted LastPass and will update this story when more information is forthcoming.

To recap: If you use LastPass, go change your master password and set up two-factor authentication. And if you happen to use the same password to lock your LastPass account that you use to secure, say, your personal email or other online account, you should change that immediately, too.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Jeff Williams, former Apple CEO
C-SuiteDisney
Jeff Williams, who retired from Apple after 27 years less than a month ago, just got called up by Disney to join its board of directors
By Dave SmithDecember 10, 2025
8 minutes ago
AIBrainstorm AI
Young people are ‘growing up fluent in AI’ and that’s helping them stand apart from their older peers, says Gen Z founder Kiara Nirghin
By Angelica AngDecember 10, 2025
2 hours ago
RetailGrocery
Instacart may be jacking up your grocery prices using AI, study shows—a practice called ‘smart rounding’
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewDecember 10, 2025
2 hours ago
C-SuiteLeadership Next
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire worked his way up from selling baseball cards as a kid to having one of the most influential IPOs of the year
By Fortune EditorsDecember 10, 2025
3 hours ago
Luigi
CybersecurityCrime
Pluck eyebrows. Avoid surveillance cameras: Luigi Mangione’s to-do list as he tried to avoid arrest revealed in court
By Michael R. Sisak and The Associated PressDecember 10, 2025
3 hours ago
Four men pose for photo
CryptoCryptocurrency
Exclusive: Surf, an AI platform just for crypto, raises $15 million
By Carlos GarciaDecember 10, 2025
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Politics
Exclusive: U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: 'I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand'
By Dave SmithDecember 10, 2025
8 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Fodder for a recession’: Top economist Mark Zandi warns about so many Americans ‘already living on the financial edge’ in a K-shaped economy 
By Eva RoytburgDecember 9, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Banking
Jamie Dimon taps Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, and Ford CEO Jim Farley to advise JPMorgan's $1.5 trillion national security initiative
By Nino PaoliDecember 9, 2025
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
14 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The 'forever layoffs' era hits a recession trigger as corporates sack 1.1 million workers through November
By Nick Lichtenberg and Eva RoytburgDecember 9, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Even the man behind ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is worried about the ‘rate of change that’s happening in the world right now’ thanks to AI
By Preston ForeDecember 9, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.