14 DAY TRIAL // AOL Music is advising registered Winamp Forum members to change their passwords after attackers compromised its user database and accessed email addresses.
According to Winamp General Manager Geno Yoham, the web team detected the attack while in progress and managed to block it.
However, they determined that hackers had already accessed the users' email addresses.
The attack was limited to the Winamp Forum (forums.winamp.com) and did not affect other websites associated with the product, such as winamp.com or dev.winamp.com.
The company didn't say that passwords were compromised, but it does recommend changing them as a security precaution.
A list of frequently asked questions which provides detailed instructions on how to do it was posted on the forum.
People who used the same password on other websites are strongly advised to change it in those places as well.
The company notes that new security measures have already been put in place to prevent similar breaches from occurring in the future and has sent notification emails to all affected users.
The most likely result of this incident will be an increase in the amount of spam, but people should also pay extra caution to email-based phishing attacks or malware distribution campaigns.
A compromise at a big email marketing agency in December resulted in the leak of millions of email addresses belonging to the customers of over 100 companies, including major brands like Honda, McDonalds and Walgreens.
The affected Walgreens customers later reported being targeted in phishing attacks that mimicked official communications from a different company.
"We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and want to assure you that we are taking steps to ensure that your information remains secure as a part of our ongoing commitment to protecting your privacy," Mr. Yoham concluded.