Technology Gist
Experts say Slack may be capable of replacing the ubiquitous email. The good news is, Slack is already leaping towards becoming a better platform after adding new funds from investors. The bad news is, its fast growth has attracted a hacker — or hackers which may be interested in mining Slack’s rich database packed with accounts of booming businesses and organizations.
Following the hack announcement of Amazon’s streaming service Twitch, software communication platform Slack has confirmed in a blog post on Friday that it detected an unauthorized database access. What this means is that the hacker, or hackers, have breached the platform’s protective barrier.
The still unnamed perpetrator had obtained access to key account information like usernames, email addresses, and supplemental information like Skype ID and mobile phone number — after finding a way to pass through Slack’s security features.
Slack said it had implemented some changes to its system after finding out about the breach. In addition, Slack said its team has been working to keep its system secured.
The Vancouver, Canada-based tech firm is urging its users to take advantage of the newly added “two factor” authentication feature. In case you’re wondering, this feature acts as an additional layer of security which requires additional confirmation after a successful login. Other tech firms that operate services like emails, data storage, and others, have been offering this system for years already — including one of Slack’s investors, the search giant Google.
But what is the point of hacking Slack’s non-credit card database? Well, this hacker wants the company’s long list of client emails. The hacker could use it to sell a similar product, or market other things. Furthermore, Slack’s hacker could be interested in knowing how big the company is by scanning through its database.
As pointed out by other reports, this recent hacking underscores the importance of securing database. For Slack, events like this could actually affect its business, and its vision of replacing email, although its early admission is very commendable. Other companies out there lack the courage to admit security loopholes early. The best example we can discuss is Uber, a popular ride sharing service.
Apparently, Uber confirmed a breach several months after the actual hack. The company said in a statement late February that it detected a breach in September, last year. For comparison, Slack has published a statement several days after it had detected the breach.
But the bottomline is not about the lack of courage to owning up security loopholes — it is about adding new layers of security to protect customers. These groups, large or small, are spending resources, and it is safe to say that they are expecting return of their investment, including having better security. Ξ
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Slack Hack Underlines The Importance Of Adding Extra Security Layers - STGIST
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