After it was reported that accounts were compromised the other day, Funimation released a statement about the incident. As mentioned, email addresses, names, and dates of birth were compromised, but passwords were not accessible. The passwords were encrypted, so any hackers were unable to view them.
Here is the full statement Funimation reported to Anime News Network:
Safeguarding the privacy and security of our customers’ information is a top priority.
In August 2016 we learned that our web application forum software was the subject of a sophisticated intrusion. Upon learning of the issue, our incident response team promptly launched an investigation and has been working very closely with one of the nation’s leading cybersecurity firms that regularly investigates and analyzes these types of incidents. Following our complex forensic investigation, which was recently concluded, we devoted considerable time and effort to determine what information contained within the forums database may have been compromised.
Funimation has sent written notification to those customers whose names, e-mail addresses, and dates of birth may have been accessed, as required by state notice laws. Passwords were encrypted and not viewable as a result of this incident.
We are taking proactive steps to strengthen our IT systems moving forward to prevent similar issues in the future. We immediately turned off the forums web application and have since changed all administrator passwords, relaunched an updated version of the site with additional security, increased the complexity of the passwords required for user accounts and upgraded the Forums Platform.
Over 2.5 million users were affected by the incident. Thankfully, it didn’t turn out as bad as expected. Still, when it comes to situations like these, it’s best to lean on the side of caution.
