Krueger Research Firm Klue Confirms 2022 Credential Led to Customer Data Breaches

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Market research company Klue has confirmed that a credential dating back to 2022, which was part of a limited pilot, was used by hackers earlier this month to steal reams of data from its corporate customers, including several cybersecurity companies. The new detail suggests that Klue may have had years to decommission the credential that was used for the pilot, raising questions about the company’s security posture and what actions it could have taken to prevent the breaches of its customers’ data. The hack at Vancouver-based Klue, which it detected on June 12 and first disclosed last Friday, allowed hackers to steal data from a number of its customers, including password manager maker LastPass and several other cybersecurity companies.

The hackers used their access to Klue’s systems, which store the keys — known as OAuth tokens — to access their customers’ data stored in other clouds and databases, to download that data, and extort the companies. Klue spokesperson Katie Berg told TechCrunch that the company’s investigation so far indicates that the credential used by the hackers to steal customers’ data “was originally provided to a third-party in 2022, for a limited pilot.” When asked by TechCrunch, Klue would not explain the purpose of the pilot, how long it ran, or identify the third-party that the company gave the credential to. Klue also did not share why the credential wasn’t revoked following the conclusion of the pilot.

Klue did not respond to follow-up emails about the incident before publication. Questions remain about the incident as the company says its investigation is continuing. Klue hasn’t said what kind of credential was stolen, only stating in a blog post that it was a “legacy credential associated with an integration service.” Klue also would not say whether the credential was an employee’s username and password, for example, or if the company believes the credential was stolen from the third-party rather than from its own systems.

These details may be crucial to understanding how the breach was carried out — and how to prevent a repeat incident. Klue’s statement to TechCrunch added that the company is “conducting a comprehensive review of credential management, vendor-access controls, monitoring capabilities, and deployment security processes,” offering no further details. A hacking group called Icarus took credit for the breach on its data leak site, and has publicly threatened to release the stolen data if its ransom isn’t paid.

Klue has not said if it has had contact with the hackers, or if it plans to pay their demands. Do you know more about the Klue cyberattack? Are you a company affected by the breach?