Here's How Hackers Hacked ClixSence:
ClixSense admitted the data breach and said some unknown hackers were able to get access to its main database through an old server which the firm was no longer using, but at the time, still networked to its main database server.
After gaining access, the hacker was able "to copy most, if not all" of the ClixSense users table, ran SQL code to change account names to "hacked account," deleted several forum posts, as well as set account balances of users to $0.00.
While talking to Ars Technica, ClixSense owner Jim Grago admitted that the database contained entries for roughly 6.6 Million accounts and that the company became aware of the breach on September 4 and managed to regain control of their DNS over the weekend.
"This all started last Sunday, September 4th about 5 am EST when my lead developer called me and said ClixSense was redirecting to a gay porn site. The hackers were able to take over our DNS and setup the redirection," Grago wrote.
"On Monday (Labor day) they were able to hack into our hosting provider and turned off all of our servers, hacked into our Microsoft Exchange server and changed the passwords on all of our email accounts. On Tuesday they were able to gain access to a server that was directly connected to our database server and get a copy of our users table."
Change Your Passwords and Security Questions Now
Users are strongly advised to change their passwords for ClixSence account immediately, and it would also be a good idea to reset passwords for all of your other online services, especially those using the same passwords.
Since ClixSense uses a large trove of personal information on its users, make sure you change your security questions, if it uses any of the information you provided to ClixSense, such as your address, date of birth, or other identifying information.
Moreover, I recommend you to use a good password manager to create strong and complex passwords for your different online accounts, and it will remember all of them on your behalf.
I have listed some of the best password managers that could help you understand the importance of password manager and choose one according to your requirement.