Thinkful Confirms Data Breach Days After Chegg Acquisition
Online coding school Thinkful notifies users of a credential compromise just after its $80 million acquisition by Chegg. The company forces password resets but remains silent on breach timeline details.
Online coding school Thinkful confirms that an unauthorized party gains access to certain company credentials, prompting a mandatory password reset for all users. The Brooklyn-based company discovers this compromise just days after announcing its $80 million cash acquisition by education technology giant Chegg. Thinkful executives state that they promptly change the compromised credentials and initiate a full investigation into the incident.
Thinkful claims that the stolen credentials do not grant the hacker access to sensitive information like government-issued IDs, Social Security numbers, or financial data. However, the company admits it sees no evidence of unauthorized access to user accounts but does not rule out the possibility entirely. Thinkful refuses to disclose exactly when the breach occurs or if acquiring company Chegg knows about the incident prior to the purchase agreement.
The timing of this breach is particularly notable because Chegg itself experiences a massive data breach just months earlier, forcing the education giant to reset passwords for 40 million users. Neither Thinkful nor Chegg responds to press inquiries regarding the current incident, leaving unanswered questions about the timeline and the specific enhanced security measures Thinkful implements. Users currently wait for further updates while navigating the forced password change.