Last.fm is next to admit losing passwords

MUSIC STREAMING WEB SITE Last.fm is the latest outfit to come forward and warn users that it might have lost their passwords.

This week has been a busy one for stolen passwords, and we have already seen Linkedin and Eharmony confess to having lost users' passwords to hacking. Now the UK-based music streaming web site Last.fm has stepped forward and admitted that it too has had passwords stolen.

"We are currently investigating the leak of some Last.fm user passwords. This follows recent password leaks on other sites, as well as information posted online. As a precautionary measure, we're asking all our users to change their passwords immediately," says a message on the Last.fm web site. "Please log in to Last.fm and change your password on the settings page."

Like the others before it the firm told concerned users that it will not be sending any direct links to password setting pages. This is because that's the tactic that phishers will use. If you think you have been affected then visit the web sites direct. It's really not worth putting yourself at any more risk by doing anything else.

With what looks like another nod in the direction of Linkedin, where a 6.5 million passwords apparently were stolen, the company added that users should choose a password that is different than ones they use on other accounts.

"We're sorry for the inconvenience around changing your password; Last.fm takes your privacy very seriously," it said. "We'll be posting updates in our forums and via our Twitter account (@lastfm) as we get to the bottom of this." µ