Hackers strike eBay

Online shopping giant eBay is warning users that they need to change their passwords after hackers broke into a company information network.

Personal information like customers’ names, emails, phone numbers and home addresses may have been compromised, the California-based company said. But hackers were not able to snatch financial information, and eBay has not found any evidence or unauthorized activity or fraudulent sales.

{mosads}Still, a spokeswoman said that eBay was taking “every precaution to protect our customers.”

“Our customers are our highest priority, and to ensure they continue to have a safe, secure and trusted experience on eBay, we will be asking all eBay users to change their passwords,” Kari Ramirez said in an emailed statement to The Hill.

The company did not disclose precisely how many of its 233 million global customers might be affected by the data breach.

According to eBay, hackers broke into its database using employee log-in information between late February and early March. It found out about the hack two weeks ago, but only uncovered that a customer database had been affected more recently.

The hack is the latest in a string of incidents at major retailers that have captured headlines in recent months.

Cyber thefts at Target, Neiman Marcus and other stores have led to calls for legislative action in Congress and tougher enforcement from federal law enforcement agencies.

Work on bills to give new powers to agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, hold more people accountable for the hacks and protect companies that share information with each other and the government have so far made little progress on Capitol Hill, however.