Plex Streaming Service Hit by Security Breach, Users Must Reset Passwords

The popular media streaming platform Plex has suffered a security incident affecting user account information, prompting the company to urge all customers to immediately reset their passwords as a precautionary measure.

Plex confirmed that an unauthorised third party gained access to a limited subset of customer data from one of their databases. The compromised information included email addresses, usernames, and securely hashed passwords, though the company stressed that credit card details were not affected as they are not stored on Plex servers.

The incident has particular relevance for Irish users, as Plex's streaming service allows people to access their personal media libraries remotely, making it popular among tech-savvy residents who want to watch content while travelling or share media with family members.

Plex, in a statement to users:

"While we quickly contained the incident, information that was accessed included emails, usernames, and securely hashed passwords. Any account passwords that may have been accessed were securely hashed, in accordance with best practices, meaning they cannot be read by a third party."

The company has already addressed the vulnerability that allowed the breach and is conducting additional security reviews to prevent future attacks. All users are being directed to visit https://plex.tv/reset to change their passwords immediately.

Plex recommends enabling the "Sign out connected devices after password change" option during the reset process. This will log users out of all devices, including any Plex Media Servers they own, requiring them to sign back in with their new credentials.

The streaming service also reminded users that legitimate Plex staff will never contact customers via email requesting passwords or credit card information. The company encourages users to enable two-factor authentication for additional account protection.

For those unfamiliar with the service, Plex allows users to create personal media servers from their own film and music collections, which can then be streamed to various devices. The platform has grown increasingly popular as people seek alternatives to traditional streaming services.

tPlex concluded:

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may cause you. We take pride in our security systems, which helped us quickly detect this incident, and we want to assure you that we are working swiftly to prevent potential future incidents from occurring."

Step-by-step password reset instructions are available at https://support.plex.tv/articles/account-requires-password-reset.