On the heels of a massive cyberattack that affected its 145 million users, eBay is reportedly facing a formal investigation with the government over its security practices. As first reported by CNET, eBay will have to answer questions from the government about what type of security the company had in place before hackers accessed the personal data of its users. Earlier this week, eBay urged users to update their passwords immediately. The breach, which was confirmed by investigators this week, happened in late February and early March; eBay discovered it in early May.
eBay will have to answer to government officials over its recent data breach. The online auction site revealed Wednesday that hackers had penetrated its corporate network and compromised the credentials of its users. As a result, the company has urged all users of the site tochange their passwords. Reacting to the news, the attorneys general of Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois will launch a joint investigation, Jaclyn Falkowski, a spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, told CNET. “Our office has been in contact with the company, and our inquiry will focus on the measures the company had in place in regards to the security of personal information prior to the incident, the circumstances that led to the breach, how many users were affected, the company’s response to the breach and what measures the company is taking to prevent future incidents,” Falkowski said. Matthew Fitzsimmons, a Connecticut assistant attorney general who heads the office’s privacy task force, will assist Jepsen with the eBay investigation, according to a statement.
