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Hackers stole DreamHost customer files and inboxes during months-long attack

By · Via TechCrunch · Published by Everything Blog

In short

DreamHost disclosed the prolonged cyber intrusion after filing a data breach notice with California’s attorney general. The attackers leveraged session tokens to impersonate users and steal private customer emails and login credentials. Although an ongoing investigation prevented the company from detailing why the attack went unnoticed for months, officials clarified the file manager bug was not tied to recent PHP web software flaws.

Key points

  • Intruders maintained undetected access to the hosting company's network beginning in Augu…: Intruders maintained undetected access to the hosting company's network beginning in August.
  • The company confirmed the incident affected well under ten percent of its customer base.: The company confirmed the incident affected well under ten percent of its customer base.
  • The intrusion originated from an undisclosed vulnerability inside the platform's file man…: The intrusion originated from an undisclosed vulnerability inside the platform's file manager tool.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Web host DreamHost has confirmed that hackers stole customer emails and credentials during a months-long cyberattack on its systems. DreamHost disclosed the breach last Thursday after it sparked an outage that spanned several days, during which it reset some customer passwords.

In a data breach notice filed with California’s attorney general, the web host said the attack began in August and allowed hackers to obtain session tokens, which keep users logged in after entering their passwords. If stolen, hackers can break into a system as if they were that user. The company said hackers exploited an unspecified vulnerability in DreamHost’s file manager, which customers use to store their files.

When reached by TechCrunch, a DreamHost spokesperson declined to say why the company did not detect the cyberattack until last week, citing an ongoing investigation. The spokesperson did not say what the vulnerability is. The company said it was unrelated to the vulnerabilities recently discovered in the PHP web software.

DreamHost’s spokesperson said that the number of affected customers is “well under 10%” but would not provide a more accurate figure.…

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