WeTransfer Incident Shares Transferred Files with Unintended Users

WeTransfer Incident Shares Transferred Files with Unintended Users

WeTransfer files were transferred to unintended users on June 16 and 17. The scope of the incident is not clear, but the company promptly logged out affected accounts and disabled the transfer links.

WeTransfer posted a security notice on June 21 informing users of a security incident they had discovered on Monday, June 17. In the incident, WeTransfer emails including file transfer links were sent to unintended e-mail addresses for two days – June 16 and 17.

After the company discovered the security incident, they logged the users out of their accounts and deactivated the links, making the files inaccessible. For some users, they reset their passwords. Then, they sent out emails to the affected users and posted the security notice on their website. WeTransfer has stated they do not know what caused the security incident.

There is a way to password-protect your transferred files on WeTransfer, ensuring that the end user is also the intended user, but it is not available on the free version of WeTransfer.

Jamie Brown, an affected user who received a notice from WeTransfer informing him that his files had been sent to unintended users, told Naked Security the files he was transferring were not overly confidential, but others may not have been so lucky.

“Thankfully we mostly use WeTransfer for sending and receiving brand photos for use on Chicmi.com – so they’re mostly heading into the public domain anyway, and the worst that might happen is an embargo being broken for an upcoming event,” Brown said. “However, I’m sure others are not so relaxed about it, bearing in mind the way the service is used.”

WeTransfer stated that they would let their users know as soon as they had an update on the cause of the situation, but that the scope of the incident will not be revealed until they have more information.

“We understand how important our users’ data is and never take their trust in our service for granted,” WeTransfer said in a statement. “We are still investigating the complete scope and cause of the incident, and will update further as soon as possible.”

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.