Database of 13 million MacKeeper users easily accessed online

By Jonathan Keane December 15, 2015

firmware update for apple multiport adaptor macbook gold 2015 hero — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mac anti-virus software firm MacKeeper may not be so secure itself. Data on 13 million of its users, including email addresses, phone numbers, and hashed passwords, was found to be easily accessible online, according to one security researcher.

Chris Vickery discovered the database online by searching for open databases on the computer search engine Shodan. First, he discovered four IP addresses that led him to a MongoDB database, and he ultimately found the MacKeeper data featuring users’ IP addresses, software licenses, and activation codes along with the hashed passwords, names, numbers, and email addresses.

It is actually quite common to find open MongoDB databases online. However it remains unclear how long the MacKeeper database was left open. According to Brian Krebs, MacKeeper said its database was left open for about a week due to a server misconfiguration, but Vickery points out that the database he found was last dated around the middle of November.

Most strikingly, the passwords in the database were protected only with the hashing algorithm MD5, which has been decried in the past by its own creator as subpar and no longer secure. There are even MD5 cracking tools available online, which are not hard to find. MacKeeper told Forbes that it is currently updating to the SHA512 hashing algorithm.

Vickery claims that he was unable to reach Kromtech, the company behind MacKeeper, to alert it of the flaws, so he took to Reddit to make his discovery public in the hope of catching the company’s attention.

Kromtech has since responded to Vickery and thanked him for his disclosure. The firm said the vulnerability has now been patched and it will be carrying out an internal review.

“We fixed this error within hours of the discovery. Analysis of our data storage system shows only one individual gained access … the security researcher himself,” said Kromtech. “We have been in communication with Chris and he has not shared or used the data inappropriately.”

So it appears that Vickery is the only person that was aware of this potential leak of customer data, and no malicious actor gained access to the database.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jonathan is a freelance technology journalist living in Dublin, Ireland. He's previously written for publications and sites…

Computing

The 6 key things Apple must fix in the next version of macOS

Craig Federighi introducing macOS Sonoma at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023.

I use macOS every day, and there’s no doubt that I love it as an operating system. Yet, despite how full of genuinely brilliant features it is, there are still a handful of things I just wish it did better.

Luckily, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is just a month away, which means there’s not long until we see what kind of software improvements Apple has in store for us. I’ve been thinking hard about what kind of changes I’d like to see happen, from Siri to Stage Manager and everything in-between. Here are the key areas I think Apple needs to fix in macOS 15.
Hey Siri, meet AI
Even when I ask Siri for the WWDC date, it can't give me a straight answer. Digital Trends

Computing

This Lenovo laptop is usually $1,700 — today it’s $847

The Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 6 laptop on a white background.

If you're looking for a new laptop that will have no problem keeping up with your daily workload, you should check out the sixth-generation Lenovo ThinkBook 16, especially now that it's on sale from Lenovo at 51% off. From its original price of $1,729, it's down to a more affordable $847, which is excellent value when you consider the capabilities of this machine. You need to complete the purchase as soon as possible if you want the $882 in savings though, because there's a chance that it's already gone by tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 6
The sixth-generation Lenovo ThinkBook 16 is a dependable laptop for its price, as it will help you complete your everyday activities and tasks quickly and efficiently with its 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. It's also got 16GB of RAM, which our laptop buying guide says is the sweet spot for most people. While the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 6 won't go as fast as the top-of-the-line models of the best laptops, it will surely boost the productivity of both professionals and students.

Computing

The Dell XPS 15, 16 and 17 all have huge discounts today

The open Dell XPS 16 on a table.

There's always high demand for Dell XPS deals because these laptops offer a combination of dependable performance and stylish designs. Three Dell XPS laptops are on sale right now with huge discounts from Dell, including the final versions of two models as they're being retired by the Dell XPS reset -- the Dell XPS 15, which is down to $1,199 from $1,499 for savings of $300, and the Dell XPS 17, which is down to $1,999 from $2,909 for savings of $910. In addition, the Dell XPS 16, one of the new models in the line of laptops, is also already discounted from Dell at $600 off, slashing its price to $2,949 from $3,549.

If you're interested in taking advantage of any of these offers, we recommend that you proceed with the purchase immediately because we're not sure how much time is remaining before they expire. This is particularly true for the Dell XPS 15 and Dell XPS 17, as once their stocks are gone, you may never get another chance at buying these laptop deals.
Dell XPS 15 -- $1,199, was $1,499