Houseparty creators have denied any allegations about the popular video-conferencing app getting hacked and it is also offering $1 million bounty to those who uncover the identity of the miscreants behind the smear campaign.
Ever since the coronavirus lockdown, the video calling app, Houseparty, has exploded in popularity. It allows up to eight users to video call and turns it into a party with games like Trivia Quiz, Pictionary, and others. However, just a few days after the app became famous on the internet, users started claiming that it is compromised.
Hacked or Not Hacked?
According to many online users, their Netflix, Spotify, and PayPal accounts have been hacked ever since they downloaded the social video calling app.
However, despite receiving the notifications about login into their Apple and Spotify account, there is no evidence that the breach has been caused due to the Houseparty app.
Some users are also claiming that their bank accounts have been hacked which is odd because the app does not require the users to put any bank information.
What should you do?
Epic Games, the maker of Houseparty, told The Sun that they have found no evidence that can link the breach to these accounts with their app.
The spokesperson added that "as a general rule, we suggest all users choose strong passwords when creating online accounts on any platform...Use a unique password for each account, and use a password generator or password manager to keep track of passwords, rather than using passwords that are short and simple."
If the users still want to continue using the app, they can visit the Houseparty settings and choose how open they would want the app to be. You can keep the chat rooms locked and 'invitation-only' to prevent the outsiders from wandering in.
You can also turn on the two-factor authentication to make it difficult to steal your passwords.
Additionally, some users go so far as to suggest that since Houseparty requires users to sign in with their email ID that is visible to other users, the only way to protect their data is to delete the account from the settings and not just the app.
