Inside the Briefcase
Dropbox Admits to Being Hacked
August 1, 2012 No CommentsSOURCE: GigaOm
Maybe this will put an end to all that “Dropbox of the Enterprise” talk by cloud storage providers. Dropbox acknowledged that spam mailings afflicting users a few weeks ago happened when hackers used passwords obtained from third-party sites to access “a small number” Dropbox user accounts. The company called in outside experts to help its security pros and also said it would start offering a two-factor authentication option in a few weeks, as well as providing a new web page to let Dropbox account holders check out accesses to their account.
The company also recommended that users select unique (and new) passwords for all their accounts to help bolster security.
This is just the latest proof that cloud-deployed services are not immune from security — and other — snafus that impact any technology. But it’s a rude wakeup call to consumers who love the easy-to-use offerings and employ them without a ton of thought. The whole “Dropbox of the enterprise” meme started when dozens of companies touting IT-friendly cloud storage all glommed onto Dropbox’s huge popularity in the consumer market to position themselves. Dropbox claims 50 million users but is also flying into a headwind as Apple iCloud, Microsoft SkyDrive, Google Drive and other consumer-friendly options gain traction.
