Buying music online is the norm these days, but like all things online, it comes with a new set of risks. In this instance, the risk of data breach, as has happened to Beggars Group, which is home to several independent music labels.

The Guardian reports that Matador Direct, the US distributor for Beggars Group, is contacting customers about a breach that could have exposed personal information to hackers. Anyone who purchased music from 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings, or Young Turks between April 28^th and May 4^th could be impacted, although the exact number of victims is not yet known.

The breach was first noticed when the group’s third party website developer noticed suspicious files in the e-commerce websites for those labels. An investigation determined that there was indeed a hack, and anyone who ordered from the websites between the initial breach and the time it was removed could have had their personal and payment information stolen.

Among the jeopardized data is personal information, including name, address, and contact info, and credit card information, including expiration dates and security codes. Additionally, any account passwords used to login during that time are also at risk.

Beggars Group has fixed the website to remove the breach, and states that it will “continue to work to strengthen the security of the websites.” The exact details, however, have not been disclosed.

User passwords have been reset, and are instructed to make a new one through the “Forgot Your Password” link, and the group advises users to “remain vigilant to the possibility of fraud and identity theft by reviewing your financial statements.” What the notice fails to mention is that anyone impacted should not only change their passwords on the e-commerce site, but on any other websites using an identical or similar password.

The group does not appear to be offering any credit protection services to impacted customers. However, there are several services that offer credit reports and protection that anyone impacted should look into. There’s no such thing as taking too many precautions to keep your information secure.

Photo by ShanMcG213