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Hackers strike again, hit Nvidia's developer zone

Nvidia says close to 400,000 accounts may have been hit, and recommends users change their passwords.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng

Nvidia is the latest company to get hit by hackers: The chipmaker was forced to take down its developer support Web site yesterday because user passwords may have been compromised.

In the place of Nvidia's Developer Zone Web site and forum is a note saying that the company has suspended operations due to attacks on the site by third parties. It warned that hackers may have gotten hold of hashed passwords from the site. The company recommended that people who frequent the Web site should change their passwords, particularly ones they also use on other sites.

Word of the attacks on Nvidia follow the recent breach of a Yahoo site, which exposed roughly 450,000 user passwords to the public. The attacks have heightened the awareness of the vulnerability of the Internet, and have grown in frequency.

An Nvidia representative said its forum has 290,000 registered accounts, its DevZone site has 100,000 accounts, and its research site has 1,200 accounts.

"We're working around the clock to do bring the forums back up securely," a representative told CNET. He noted, however, that there was no update on timing.

Nvidia noted that it does not request sensitive information by e-mail, and warned users against providing personal, financial, or sensitive information in response to any email supposedly sent by an Nvidia employee.

Nvidia said on its developer site that it would provide updates on that page.

Updated at 8:55 a.m. PT: to include a response from Nvidia.