Evernote Data Breach (2013)

On March 2, 2013, Evernote's security team detected unauthorized access to the company's user database. The attackers had obtained usernames, email addresses, and password hashes. Evernote stated that the passwords were protected by salted hashing, making them difficult to reverse, but forced a universal password reset as a precautionary measure. The breach was discovered by Evernote's own security monitoring systems. The prompt disclosure and forced password reset were praised as a model response to data breaches at the time.

Evernote was one of the most popular note-taking and productivity applications in 2013, with over 50 million users worldwide. The breach affected a significant portion of its global user base.

Attackers gained access to Evernote's user database containing encrypted (salted and hashed) passwords. The specific method of initial access was not publicly disclosed. Evernote did not store passwords in plaintext and the hashing algorithm made password cracking difficult but not impossible.

The perpetrator(s) behind the Evernote breach remain unidentified. The attack demonstrated the persistent threat facing even well-secured cloud services.

Attribution sources

• Evernote Confirmation
• Media Reports

Countries affected

• Global

Data types

• Usernames
• Email Addresses
• Password Hashes (salted)

Notable documents

• Evernote Security Notification (March 2, 2013)

Primarily reputational damage and cost of forced password reset.

Public reaction

Users were largely understanding, but the breach raised concerns about storing sensitive notes on cloud platforms.

No specific legal action was reported against the perpetrators.

Security improvements

• Evernote enhanced access controls and monitoring.
• Universal password resets became industry best practice after breaches.

Significance

The Evernote breach was one of the largest password-related breaches of 2013, affecting 50 million users. The company's response set a standard for transparent breach disclosure.

Legacy

The incident contributed to the widespread adoption of forced password resets and transparent breach notifications as industry best practices.

Publishing organisations

• Evernote

Evernote forced a universal password reset and enhanced security monitoring.

Official documents

• Evernote security blog post (2013)

References

1. [1]Evernote security notice (2013)
2. [2]Media reports (TechCrunch, The Verge)