evernoteNote-taking service Evernote today released a statement announcing that it had discovered suspicious activity on the Evernote network, which prompted it to issue a service-wide password reset.

While Evernote says that no content or payment information was accessed, hackers did acquire usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords.

In our security investigation, we have found no evidence that any of the content you store in Evernote was accessed, changed or lost. We also have no evidence that any payment information for Evernote Premium or Evernote Business customers was accessed.

The investigation has shown, however, that the individual(s) responsible were able to gain access to Evernote user information, which includes usernames, email addresses associated with Evernote accounts and encrypted passwords. Even though this information was accessed, the passwords stored by Evernote are protected by one-way encryption. (In technical terms, they are hashed and salted.)

All Evernote users will be prompted to choose a new password when logging in to the website. The company is is also releasing updates to several of its apps today to facilitate the password change.

Evernote's security breach comes a bit over a week after Apple, Twitter, and Facebook were hacked when employees visited iPhoneDevSDK, an online forum for software developers.

Top Rated Comments

jennyp Avatar
163 months ago
I have a 20 character master password with 1Passsword. If I go to the site below and enter a password mask (I would never enter my actual password in anything other than 1Password), it would take sextillion years to crack my password.

http://howsecureismypassword.net

That isn't strictly true. Your password could be cracked in the first 5 minutes of a run. It's highly unlikely, true, but the proper way to state matters would be to say that it would take that length of time to try all combinations of the characters you use.

</pedantry>
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canyonblue737 Avatar
163 months ago
I never got an email either but I think I know why... evernote sent the email from a NON-evernote domain that was only registered a few months ago and who's ID looks like it doesn't belong to evernote. It looks EXACTLY like a classic fishing scheme... except evernote has admit it really was from them. Many email services grab these messages because they look so obviously fake. They are now saying on the forums it was due to this happening in the midst of a big email server switch for them and this was the only way they could send out 50 million emails on short notice. To me it says that this is a big company still playing amateur hour when it comes to user security.

1. no 2 factor authentication.
2. SSL only when sending data to their servers.
3. no encryption of ANY KIND of ANY of your notes or notebooks on their servers. if someone gets your primary password, everything is exposed.
4. poor handling of the large data leak... email response, style and timing was all beyond poor. all passwords reset prior to ANY email, twitter, homepage or any other notification sent from evernote. the error alert saturday morning on evernote.com and in apps simply said you were entering the wrong password leading thousands to think they had been hacked with nothing at all explaining what had really happened.

this is a company that proudly has articles on their website saying "how to use evernote at tax time" but does nothing at all to protect the critical nature of user information on their servers. no one does this as poorly in the crowd they want to play in: apple, twitter, google, dropbox etc. it is downright irresponsible for them to imply that critical user data is safe and they haven't even hinted they want to improve it ('cept for 2 factor which they have been implying for a year and never arrived even with the big 5.0 update.)

i hope evernote stops what they are doing, realizes they are becoming a MAJOR player in the cloud space and with 60 million accounts they have to do FAR better. evernote has been iterating like mad on their service which has brought them great success but they need to pour their resources into security they desperately need starting with 2 factor authentication and the ability to encrypt notebooks. only then will evernote be a modern, secure cloud service to store your life's most valuable information.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
163 months ago
I use Evernote but didn't seem to receive the email warning of the password breach. It certainly wasn't in my inbox.

So, I just searched my Mail.app and discovered that Apple's junk-mail filter had put the Evernote email directly into the trash. :confused:
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turtle777 Avatar
163 months ago
For instance, 1password or wallet use icloud or dropbox to sync between devices and for backup. Should someone get my sync file, they have all the time in the world to try to get passed the encryption/masterpassword and access to all my passwords.

In case of 1PW, they would need all the time in the world.

As long as you use a long and safe Master Password, encrypted data in the cloud is not an issue.

They will go for a dictionary attack before they try to decrypt your contents.

-t
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maxosx Avatar
163 months ago
This event simply emphasizes the value of taking one's password & security plan seriously.

By keeping it dynamic with regular changing of passwords & executing procedures as suggested by those above, one is relatively safe.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
furi0usbee Avatar
163 months ago
One way is to have your own domain and a hosting service with unlimited number of convenient mail aliases. Also makes it easy to shutdown an address if it starts to get spam...

1Password is really nice.

I have several websites/domains, but I would never want to take the time to start using a separate email now for each account. Even though I could just do mymail1@, mymail2@, and just forward them to a master account, I don't feel the need to do that just now. It's better security that's for sure, but I don't know if I need that now. But I will put that on my list of things to consider.

What I do thought, is lie when presented with secret questions for my accounts. So if it says what state was I born, I say any state other than my own. When it says first car, I say some nice Italian number, etc.

Bryan
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

Survey: Nearly 70% of Users Plan to Upgrade to iPhone 17

Monday September 1, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
A new survey has found that nearly seven in ten iPhone owners in the United States plan to upgrade to an iPhone 17 model, signaling strong demand ahead of Apple's expected unveiling of the devices at its September 9 keynote. Smartphone price comparison platform SellCell surveyed over 2,000 U.S.-based iPhone users in August to assess upgrade interest and brand loyalty before Apple's event....