eBay asks users to change passwords after cyberattack

Canada AM: Another day, another security breach Tech analyst Carmi Levy talks about the growing prominence of cyberattacks, following eBay's latest security breach announcement.

E-commerce giant eBay is asking its users to change their passwords following a cyberattack that compromised a database containing encrypted passwords.

The company said Wednesday that it doesn't believe any financial data or credit card information was accessed, but it’s asking users to take every precaution to protect their information.

"Our customers are our highest priority, and to ensure they continue to have a safe, secure and trusted experience on eBay, we will be asking all eBay users to change their passwords," spokesperson Kari Ramirez said in a statement to CTV News.

EBay said the database, which included customers' names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, home or work addresses, phone numbers and birthdays, was compromised between late February and early March.

The company said that the compromised employee credentials were first detected approximately two weeks ago.

"We know our customers trust us with their information, and we take seriously our commitment to maintaining a safe, secure and trusted global marketplace," according to a statement from the company.

EBay also said there's no evidence that PayPal users’ financial information was accessed, as that data is stored separately on a secure network, and all PayPal financial information is encrypted.

Users were notified of the cyberattack via email on Wednesday.

In addition to asking users to change their password for the website, eBay said it's also encouraging any user who uses the same password on other websites to change those too.