OkCupid Denies Data Breach Amid Account Hack Complaints

Users on the dating website report hackers breaking into their accounts, changing email addresses, and resetting passwords.

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

February 12, 2019

1 Min Read
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Dating is tough as it is, but some OkCupid users are reporting a new kind of challenge: Hackers are breaking into accounts, changing their email addresses and passwords, and locking them out. However, the dating website states it has not been affected by a security breach.

One user whose account was hacked contacted TechCrunch, which reports a hacker accessed his account, changed his information, and sent him strange text messages. Several other users reported similar situations. Some had difficulty regaining account access, stating OkCupid did not alert them when their information was changed and took two days to unlock the account.

In response to the incidents, OkCupid pointed to the prevalence of account takeover attempts, which it noted are common across all websites. Its support pages contain warning signs related to account takeover and guidance for users whose accounts have been breached.

Dating websites have become targets for cybercriminals seeking personal data; however, OkCupid and similar sites (PlentyOfFish, Match, eHarmony, JDate) have not implemented two-factor authentication to protect users from account takeover attempts.

Read more details here.

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Dark Reading Staff

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