Zendesk got hacked: Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr feel it

Customer support service Zendesk says it has been a victim of a hack and three of its social clients have been affected: Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr.

The company revealed in a blog post that hackers had gained access to its system this week and that its investigation “indicates that the hacker had access to the support information”.

“We feel that it’s important our customers receive an update from us on a recent security situation. We have an investigation underway and do not have the answer to every question,” says the service.

The company believes that the hacker gained access and downloaded email addresses of users who contacted the three affected companies for support, as well as support email subject lines.

Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr have been notified about the hack and Zendesk says it is working with them to assist in their response.

Following the post by Zendesk, Twitter’s official @support account issued a statement that an email has been sent to the small percentage of people who may have been affected by the hack.

Emailing a small percentage of Twitter users who may have been affected by Zendesk’s breach. No passwords involved. zendesk.com/blog/weve-been…

— Support (@Support) February 22, 2013

According to Wired Pinterest has also notified its users via email.

“Unfortunately your name, email address and subject line of your message were improperly accessed during [Zendesk’s] security breach,” the Pinterest message reads.

“Beware of suspicious emails. If you get any emails that look like they’re from Pinterest but don’t feel right, please let us know—especially if they include details about your support request,” adds the social pinning service.

A Tumblr spokesperson told The Next Web that the company was working with law enforcement and Zendesk to better understand this attack. He also asked users to monitor their email and Tumblr accounts for “suspicious behaviour, and notify us immediately if you have any concerns”.

“Tumblr will never ask you for your password by email. Emails are easy to fake, and you should be suspicious of unexpected emails you receive,” says the company.

This hack comes in the wake of a series of hacks in the last few weeks that have been targeting high-profile companies, from Apple and Facebook to the New York Times.