Streaming media platform Plex today sent customers an email notifying them of a security breach in which account information such as usernames, email addresses, and passwords may have been compromised. 

Although there is no evidence that encrypted passwords have been exposed, Plex advises all users to change their passwords immediately.

A huge streaming media and a client-server media player platform

Plex is one of the largest media server apps available, used by nearly 20 million people to 

stream their self-uploaded videos, audio, and photos. It also increases the types of content that the service offers to pay subscribers.

What does the media notice to the customers?

The email read, "Yesterday, we discovered suspicious activity in one of our databases. It appears that they were able to access a subset." We have no confirmation that any other personal account information was compromised, and private media libraries accessed in the compromise (not including pirated content, private nudity, or other sensitive content) are not mentioned.

Plex reassures customers that "all account passwords that may be granted are hashed and protected according to best practices." Financial information also appeared safe despite the leak, stating that "no credit card or other payment data was stored on our servers and was not vulnerable in this incident."

Prevention after identifying the breaches

After discovering the cause of the breach, Plex took steps to prevent other users from exploiting the same security flaw. “We have already addressed the methods employed by this third party to access our systems and are conducting additional reviews to further harden the security of all our systems to prevent future intrusions.”

If you have a Plex account, you should take steps to secure it immediately by following the instructions provided by the company. You should also enable 2-factor authentication if you haven't already. Plex puts the Two-Factor Authentication option under your Account page.

You can also get assistance from a free or paid password manager to easily manage unique, difficult-to-guess passwords and codes across all your apps, services, sites, and other facilities if available on your mobile. 

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Web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari have decent built-in options, though dedicated services are also available from Bitwarden, 1Password, and Lastpass. 

Some password managers will alert you that they have been breached online and autofill passwords when prompted by apps and websites on your desktop and phone.