Password Manager Data Breach Overview Over the Years

What is the case with password manager data breach issues over the years? Password managers are one of the best security software to keep your data and stored passwords safe. However, this isn’t always the case in every situation. 

It’s a fact that security software is beneficial, but nothing is always 100% accurate, especially if there are some faults here and there. In the case of data breaches, it cannot be completely controlled or neutered. 

Note – Before settling for any password manager, always conduct a little research. Check to see if the provider you go with has undergone any data breaches or has had vulnerabilities in the past. Next, look to see what kind of features it offers and if they match the prices. Right now, FastestPass is among some of the best and even comes with a refund policy. 

Data breaches are one of the most common and rapidly evolving cyberattacks that have increased in frequency over the years. Although it does happen, industry leaders in the password manager front don’t take it lightly. 

There have been some big names in the password manager industry that have continuously claimed to be 100% safe, but there are always some overly eager hackers waiting patiently to put those claims to the test. 

Over the years, the practices enforced on password managers have been a little standard. Old methods or features cannot fix vulnerabilities of future attacks. This is because with each passing time, cyberattacks advance and upgrade. For this reason, it’s important for every password manager company to stay ahead with the cybersecurity practices and trends. 

This guide shows the number of password manager data breaches over the years and a few security precautionary measures. 

Worst Password Manager Data Breach Targets

Here is a list of the biggest password manager data breaches to date: 

1. LastPass Password Manager Data Breach

2022 was one of the toughest years for some password manager companies, and LastPass was hit more than once within that year. 

In August 2022, LastPass suffered a security breach in which attackers accessed confidential information through an employee’s account. To make matters worse, a second incident occurred in November, compromising sensitive Cloud-stored data.

The most painful part of the LastPass breach was when the hackers broke into the employee’s account via their personal computer. They used a keylogger to capture the login details just to enter into the company’s source code and customer vaults. Because the activity appeared to be from a known employee ID, the intrusion went unnoticed for some time.

According to reports, the data stolen from the LastPass vaults amounted to millions of dollars in cryptocurrency thefts, specifically around $35 million. It was reported that around 80 crypto wallets were taken over, resulting in stolen funds and other cryptocurrencies. 

Cybercriminals have also impersonated LastPass employees to target users. According to LastPass, these incidents stemmed from phishing campaigns using the Crypto Chameleon phishing kit and did not directly compromise their own systems. However, history shows that if you’ve been hacked once, you’re at a higher risk of being hacked again.

2. Norton LifeLock

Next on the list of password manager data breaches is Norton LifeLock, which has had unfortunate experiences with breaches and data theft. Before jumping into the details, we need to address the incident where the CEO of the company plastered his Social Security number on some billboards. This was just so that he could prove a point. However, to what avail? His identity and data were stolen more than 13 times. 

Although LifeLock has faced various problems in the past, in December 2022, it disclosed a data breach in which over 6,000 customers lost access to their password managers. The attackers went for a sleek method called “credential stuffing” to gain control of these accounts. When these kinds of breaches take place, it’s important to change your passwords immediately. 

3. 1Password

This password manager was also among the cases of the worst data breaches, but this provider had connections with a third-party service called Okta. Usually, partnering with third-party services could result in system failure if the other company is targeted, and this was the case with 1Password. In 2023, Okta, recognized as a platform for identity management, was targeted and fell victim to a mass data breach. As a result, around 18,400 of their customers’ identities and data were exposed, and 1Password was one of them. However, despite this being a huge risk, luckily, this breach did not directly affect any of the 1Password customers. 

4. Bitwarden

In 2023, cybersecurity company Flashpoint uncovered a serious weakness in Bitwarden’s encryption, specifically tied to its autofill feature, which left sensitive data exposed to potential cyberattacks. 

The Bitwarden breach occurred when the autofill feature was enabled. Bitwarden initiated access to inline frames, called iframes, to retrieve user credentials. While this might sound minor, it opened the door for attackers to steal those credentials if the iframes themselves were compromised.

To top that, a few cybersecurity researchers discovered that attackers could set up subdomains that mimicked legitimate sites visited by users, and Bitwarden’s autofill would still recognize them. As a result, passwords could be automatically filled in on fraudulent pages designed for phishing. Since then, Bitwarden has taken action to remedy and prevent these issues from recurring in the future. 

FAQs – Password Manager Data Breach

To Conclude

And that’s a wrap! You now have insight into some of the worst password manager data breach incidents over the years, and also some that haven’t been encountered. As mentioned, password managers are one of the best tools to create strong and unique passwords, but at the end of the day, you, as a user, need to be able to incorporate certain security measures to prevent any kind of cyberattacks, including data breaches, account hijacking, etc. Additionally, always conduct thorough research before selecting a password manager.