Users with old MySpace accounts might want to check if their profiles have been stolen, as it was recently reported that there was a major security issue in the website that made it very easy for anybody to hijack accounts.
MySpace, which suffered one of the worst data breaches in history when 360 million user accounts were compromised, said last year that it would be shoring up its security. Apparently, the website did not follow through with its promise.
The Severe MySpace Security Problem
The severe MySpace security issue was discovered by security researcher Leigh-Anne Galloway back in April.
Galloway found out that the account recovery page of the website only needed the real name, username, and birthday of a user to allow access to his or her account. For people looking to steal a MySpace profile, only the birthday presents a slight hurdle, though that information is also very much accessible through online searches.
Galloway stumbled upon the security issue while she was trying to close her MySpace account. She discovered that the only fields in the account recovery form that needed to be filled up to gain access to an account are the aforementioned real name, username, and birthday.
When Galloway informed MySpace of the problem in April, she only received an automated response. This has forced her to disclose the security issue to force the website into action.
MySpace finally did something about it, claiming that it "enhanced" the process of user account reactivation. The statement was very vague, however, and was only released when news about the security problem that Galloway discovered started making rounds in various online publications.
What Should MySpace Users Do?
People with MySpace accounts, whether inactive for years or used every once in a while, may want to think about deleting their profiles amid another security gaffe.
To delete a MySpace account, users will need to log in to their profiles or go through the account recovery process if they have forgotten their credentials. Once logged in, users can go their account's settings to access the Delete Account option.
"Whilst Myspace is no longer the number one social media site, they have a duty of care to users past and present," Galloway wrote.
In a world where online accounts are always at risk, the last thing that users need is a website that does not take cybersecurity seriously. While most users have not touched their MySpace profiles in a while, people who hijack accounts could still impersonate their victims, so it would be much safer to simply delete accounts on the website.
