--- description: Master password company LastPass announced on Monday that hackers had gained access to many of its users' password data title: Despite Overwhelming Irony, LastPass Hack Is No Joke image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Cybersecurity Firm LastPass Hacked; User Data Stolen ## Video: How to protect your savings [Watch (HLS stream): How to protect your savings](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1xl7pLDt.m3u8) (3:26)  _Published 2014-06-01. Making subtle changes to your retirement investments can prepare you for the worst and amp up your nest egg._ by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 16, 2015 8:49 AM CUT by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 16, 2015 8:49 AM CUT In an era of infinite passwords, each with slightly different requirements, LastPass — a company that allows customers to store their password collections online and access them with master passwords — seemed to many like a godsend. Until Monday, that is, after the company [announced](http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/technology/lastpass-password-hack/index.html "undefined") that hackers had broken into its system, gaining access to password reminders, e-mail addresses and even encrypted master passwords. The combination of stolen data makes the hacking comparatively serious: simple codes such as “123456” can be hacked easily, regardless of encryption, while reminders like “Where were you born?” can be easily solved using public information from social media or records. Many other passwords can be guessed through so-called “brute forcing,” or using rented computer server firepower to crack encryption, CNN reports. The company discovered the digital security breach on Friday. “We are confident that our encryption measures are sufficient to protect the vast majority of users,” Joe Siegrist, LastPass CEO and co-founder, wrote in a blog post Monday. “Nonetheless, we are taking additional measures to ensure that your data remains secure. We are requiring that all users who are logging in from a new device or IP address first verify their account by email, unless you have multifactor authentication enabled. As an added precaution, we will also be prompting users to update their master password.” Siegrist went on to encourage users who have reused their master passwords on other websites to replace those passwords and to encourage users to set up two-step authentication, which involves sending a passcode via text message to a user’s phone, to prevent future data losses. \[[CNN](http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/technology/lastpass-password-hack/index.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3922406/cybersecurity-hacker-password-online-security-encryption-security-lastpass/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3922406/cybersecurity-hacker-password-online-security-encryption-security-lastpass/"},"headline":"Cybersecurity Firm LastPass Hacked; User Data Stolen","datePublished":"2015-06-16T08:49:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:05:45.216Z","description":"The strongest argument yet against using \"1234567\" as a password","url":"https://time.com/3922406/cybersecurity-hacker-password-online-security-encryption-security-lastpass/","keywords":["Tech","Security","Encryption","cybersecurity","Password","Hacker"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alissa Greenberg","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3922406/cybersecurity-hacker-password-online-security-encryption-security-lastpass/","name":"Cybersecurity Firm LastPass Hacked; User Data Stolen"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to protect your savings","description":"Making subtle changes to your retirement investments can prepare you for the worst and amp up your nest egg.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1xl7pLDt/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-01T04:28:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1xl7pLDt.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3922406/cybersecurity-hacker-password-online-security-encryption-security-lastpass/","duration":"PT3M26S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3922406/cybersecurity-hacker-password-online-security-encryption-security-lastpass/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```