What Do You Do When Your Password Manager Gets Hacked?

The latest hacking at LastPass means it's time to up your online security yet again

Close up, cropped shot of young woman sitting on the bench in urban office park working outdoors, logging in to her laptop and holding smartphone on hand with a security key lock icon on the screen. LastPass, a password manager, was recently hacked.
Even if you have a password manager, there are extra security tips you should follow
d3sign / Getty

LastPass is the most popular password manager in the world. So it’s rather startling news that the company just admitted it had been hacked; according to Bloomberg, a hacker was able to access source code and “proprietary information,” but probably not passwords.

“In response to the incident, we have deployed containment and mitigation measures, and engaged a leading cybersecurity and forensics firm,” as a blog post on the LastPass site suggests. “While our investigation is ongoing, we have achieved a state of containment, implemented additional enhanced security measures, and see no further evidence of unauthorized activity. “

LastPass claims users shouldn’t have to do anything as of right now. Per LP: “This incident did not compromise your Master Password. We never store or have knowledge of  your Master Password.” And that password is the key to getting to your other information and personal data.

Still, you might feel a bit uneasy that an app centered around security was breached, especially since this happened before and hacker access to master passwords was a potential issue. The cybersecurity publication Bleeping Computer is one of many sites that suggest enabling multi-factor authentication (which usually means a password or biometric login followed by a one-time code sent to your phone) to add another level of security, but you might also want to change your master password and make it different from other passwords you regularly use, among many other security tips we recommend.

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