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
167 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
167 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
167 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
167 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
167 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
167 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

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...