TaskRabbit investigates ‘cybersecurity incident,’ app taken down – CNET
TaskRabbit investigates ‘cybersecurity incident,’ app taken down
The handyman-for-hire app sent an email to users today recommending they change their passwords if they used the same ones for different websites.
TaskRabbit has a job for cybersecurity experts: find out what happened to their own network.
The handyman-for-hire app, which connects workers with people who have a task they’d rather pay someone else to do, sent an alert to its users on Monday, informing them that they were “investigating a cybersecurity incident.”
The company said it was working with an outside cybersecurity firm and law enforcement to figure out what happened. While TaskRabbit is conducting its investigation, the app and the website will temporarily be taken down, the email said.
“As an immediate precaution, if you used the same password on other sites or apps as you did for TaskRabbit, we recommend you change those now,” according to the email.
TaskRabbit did not specify how many people were affected by the incident, or what information was lost.
“We regret any inconvenience this may cause our clients and Taskers, and will reschedule any uncompleted tasks as soon as possible. For any Tasker who had a task scheduled today and is unable to complete the task, we will compensate them appropriately,” a Taskrabbit spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The app has more than 1.25 million users since 2015.
On Twitter, TaskRabbit users have sent complaints to the company, pointing out that TaskRabbit’s website redirected them to a WordPress page showing the app’s Github account.
TaskRabbit responded to users on Twitter, writing that it was “aware of the technical issue and are on the case!”
The WordPress page, wh1ter0sem4v.wordpress.com, has since been taken down. The URL is a reference to an episode title from the first season of “Mr. Robot,” a popular show about hackers.
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