Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform, has admitted it was hacked on 12 February but has also said no credit card data was accessed.

The company said that while the breach did not reveal credit card numbers, the personal data of millions of users could be at risk.

Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler said: "While no credit card data was accessed, some information about our customers was. Accessed information included usernames, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and encrypted passwords.

"Actual passwords were not revealed, however it is possible for a malicious person with enough computing power to guess and crack an encrypted password, particularly a weak or obvious one."

Kickstarter suggested that all its users change their passwords as a precaution and consider using password management services.

The platform says it is the biggest crowdfunding site in the world and has collected money from 5.6m people, representing an attractive target for hackers.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Strickler said: "We’re incredibly sorry that this happened. We set a very high bar for how we serve our community, and this incident is frustrating and upsetting.

"We have since improved our security procedures and systems in numerous ways, and we will continue to do so in the weeks and months to come."

 

Related articles:

SMEs use personal credit cards for financing: rebuildingsociety.com research

OneCard to launch all-in-one card in China

Australian crowdfunding StartSomeGood offers credit card payments