Freecycle, a nonprofit organization that facilitates the exchange of used goods, has confirmed a massive data breach that impacted over 7 million users.
The breach was first reported on a hacking forum on May 30, 2023. The stolen data includes usernames, User IDs, email addresses, and MD5-hashed passwords. No other information was exposed, according to Freecycle.
Freecycle became aware of the breach on August 30, 2023. The organization has since taken steps to secure its systems and notified affected users.
“On August 30th we became aware of a data breach on Freecycle.org. As a result, we are advising all members to change their passwords as soon as possible,” Beal warned in a notification added to the homepage.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and would ask that you watch this space for further pending background.”
To reset your Freecycle password, you can use one of two methods:
- From your profile’s settings and scrolling down to the Password Reset section
- From the password reset page via email
Users should be aware of delays (up to one hour) affecting the password reset process via email because Freecycle’s “email system is very busy at this time.”
After being made aware of the data breach, Freecycle said that it also reported the incident to the appropriate authorities.
The breach is a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity. Users should always be careful about what information they share online and should use strong passwords that are unique to each account.
