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Bitly users’ account credentials possibly compromised

The link-shortening service issues an “urgent security update” saying that it has disconnected users’ Facebook and Twitter accounts because of a probable breach.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr

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Bitly users take heed: the company announced Thursday that it has "reason to believe that Bitly account credentials have been compromised."

In an "urgent security update," the link-shortening service said it has disconnected all users' Facebook and Twitter accounts from its service in order to protect their private information.

While Bitly gives sparse details about the possible security breach, the company's CEO Mark Josephson does say he believes user data is safe at this time.

"We have no indication at this time that any accounts have been accessed without permission," he wrote in the security update. "For our users' protection, we have taken proactive steps to ensure the security of all accounts."

Josephson told users to take steps to secure their Bitly accounts, including changing their API keys and OAuth tokens, resetting their passwords, and reconnecting their Facebook and Twitter accounts.