Has Houseparty been hacked? App owners reassure users - what you can do
The app has seen a surge in popularity since lockdown measures were introduced
If you haven't heard of Houseparty yet, where you been? (apart from home...)
The Houseparty app has seen a surge in popularity since the world has put social distancing measures in place to deal with the current pandemic.
The app came out way back in 2015, and was bought by Epic Games (they also own Fortnite) in 2019.
Over the past few days, the app has been facing accusations that it's been hacked. Posts on social networks warned users to stop using Houseparty right away claiming users were having their email accounts hacked.
Houseparty responded with a tweet stating: "All Houseparty accounts are safe - the service is secure, has never been compromised, and doesn't collect passwords for other sites."
Houseparty has also followed that up with another tweet.
The shouty posts on Twitter and Facebook haven't shared any evidence. If you have any other questions then check out our guide to how to use Houseparty.
What should you do?
- If you're worried about anyone hacking your accounts change your password.
- Deleting the app doesn't actually help either way as you already shared your data. The idea that the listed issues all appear on a single app are also unlikely.
- Visit the settings within Houseparty - check your privacy settings. Remember you can 'lock' the rooms you enter.
- Use two factor authentication - this just makes it easier to stop people stealing passwords and is best practice.
