MATLAB Confirms Ransomware Gang Stole Data of 10,000 Users

Hey! have you heard? The company that develops MATLAB said that a ransomware gang broke into their system and stole the user data of over 10,000 people. If you use MATLAB, or know anybody that does, this matters. I do also use MATLAB sometimes and I checked to see if I was affected right away.

What happened?​

Hackers targeted the company that develops MATLAB and stole personal data. Specifically names, email addresses and account information. The gang of hackers did not recover passwords or financial data, which is good, but still that's a lot of user data to be stolen—over 10,000!

Even simple account details, such as email addresses, are still valuable for sending phishing emails or scam emails.

How MATLAB Responded​

MATLAB responded quickly:

• Informed affected users of the data breach.
• Started an investigation into how hackers gained access.
• Strengthened their systems to guard against future attacks.

Good for them to notify individuals quickly. Discovering a breach after the fact would be worse.

Why Should You Care​

You may say to yourself, "I just use MATLAB so whatever." But hackers can use small bits of data like names or emails, or even less than that to:

• Perform scam emails.
• Conduct social engineering attacks.

Small bits of data can go for worse if hackers are smart with that data.

Staying Safe​

So you have a MATLAB account :

1. Be cautious about any unexpected emails or links.
2. Change the passwords for your other accounts that use that same email address.
3. If you can, turn on 2-factor authentication.

I went through these steps myself; it only took me a few minutes while helping to protect you!

The Bottom Line​

Ransomware attacks are more and more common and no platform, even a trusted source like MATLAB, will ever be free from hackers.

Next time you receive an email that you weren't expecting, just take a moment to think so you do not click on it. It could save you a lot more headache than you realize.