Spotify Hacked, Android Owners Urged to Reboot
Music streaming service Spotify has warned Android device owners of a recent hack, urging them to look out for a patched version of the official Spotify app in the coming days.
The Scandinavian-based service said in a blog post on the official site that although the breach was known to affect only one account, it felt action was necessary.
Spotify CEO Oskar Stal said: “Our evidence shows that only one Spotify user’s data has been accessed, and this did not include any password, financial or payment information. We have contacted this one individual. Based on our findings, we are not aware of any increased risk to users as a result of this incident.
“We take these matters very seriously and as a general precaution will be asking certain Spotify users to re-enter their username and password to log in over the coming days.
“As an extra safety step, we are going to guide Android app users to upgrade over the next few days. If Spotify prompts you for an upgrade, please follow the instructions.
“As always, Spotify does not recommend installing Android applications from anywhere other than Google Play, Amazon Appstore or spotify.com. At this time there is no action recommended for iOS and Windows Phone users.”
Despite the small scale of the attack, Spotify will be wary of the negative reaction eBay received for its slow response to the online marketplace’s own security breach, which was announced last week.
Some users received emails from eBay telling them to reset their passwords only this morning. It is the latest in a growing line of databases to have suffered a breach of security.
Some Apple users have reported their iPhones being remotely locked by hackers, and a ransom demanded before their device is unlocked. Adobe and U.S. retailer Target have both also reported web security breaches in the past.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this causes but hope you understand that this is a necessary precaution to safeguard the quality of our service and protect our users,” Stal said.
“We have taken steps to strengthen our security systems in general and help protect you and your data — and we will continue to do so. We will be taking further actions in the coming days to increase security for our users.”
