14 DAY TRIAL // Business Wire has sent out a notification to all customers informing them that they’re required to change their passwords in the next few days.
“This maintenance is part of our ongoing efforts to secure our proprietary systems, as well as the sensitive information we house for our clients,” Phyllis Dantuono, Business Wire chief operating officer, explained in the emails.
The company says it’s also implementing “more aggressive precautions” in light of the recent cyberattacks that have targeted The New York Times, The Washington Post, Twitter, and the Federal Reserve.
“With cyber attacks on the rise, Business Wire is committed to fighting against all potential threats of this kind, and will ask our clients, partners, and employees to aid us in that effort by always using the strongest possible passwords that are unique, and individual, to your Business Wire accounts,” Dantuono added.
Avira expert Sorin Mustaca, the one who first reported on the notifications, says that it's odd that the company would force customers to reset their passwords in the process of securing their systems.
Password resets usually follow a security breach.
“I think that somebody hacked their DB, has stolen their passwords (hashed or not) and now they are doing damage control,” Mustaca explained.
Earlier this month, when it admitted that its systems had been hacked, Twitter sent out similar notifications to 250,000 users.
The company still hasn’t provided any details regarding the attacker’s origin, but many have speculated that China might be involved, considering that the announcement came shortly after The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post said they were hacked by China.
We’ve sent out an inquiry to Business Wire in an attempt to find out what has really happened. An update will be made to the article once they respond.
In the meantime, users should change their passwords. Even if the company’s systems haven’t been breached, regularly changing your passwords is highly recommended.
Update. Business Wire representatives have responded to our inquiry, but they haven't provided any details. They've simply said the passwords reset is part of their “ongoing protocol.”