Plex has sent a notice to some customers urging them to change their passwords after the tech developer discovered a new security breach this month.
In an advisory dated September 9, officials at Plex confirmed the company “recently experienced a security incident” in which a third party actor gained access to certain Plex account information, including encrypted passwords.
Plex says it uses a security method called “hashing” to ensure passwords are stored on its servers in a way that cannot be revealed by other parties. But, as a precaution, it has urged customers to change their account passwords nonetheless.
The company said credit card information is not stored on its server, and there is no evidence that the unnamed party accessed any financial information associated with a Plex account.
Plex said it has “addressed” the vulnerability that was exploited by the threat actor and that engineers are conducting further reviews of its systems. Customers are being prompted to reset their passwords, and some may see notifications about recent log-ins or suspicious activity.
Plex began notifying customers about the incident early Monday, first through a note in the Plex developer forum, and later by e-mail. The Desk received a message about the incident to an email address associated with a Plex account late Monday evening, several hours after the first reports about the incident were published.
The disclosure comes just over two years after the company experienced a similar breach. In August 2022, Plex warned users to reset their credentials after hackers compromised a database that contained account information.
Plex develops a multi-platform streaming app and related technology that allows streamers to launch their own personal media servers and stream videos, music and photos they own to devices like tablets, phones, smart televisions and game consoles.
In recent years, Plex has expanded the scope of its smart TV and smart screen apps to include access to hundreds of free, ad-supported streaming TV channels and video on-demand content. Last year, the company integrated a digital video rental store into its app that allows streamers to pay for short-term access to thousands of movies.
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