Zendesk Exposes 10,000 Accounts to Unknown Third Party

Cloud-based customer service company Zendesk notified customers that account information for 10,000 users was accessed prior to November 2016.
In a note posted Wednesday, Zendesk said email addresses, user names, and phone numbers were accessed for customers and users of its Support and Chat products. Zendesk Support is the company’s customer support ticketing service. Chat is Zendesk’s live messaging service used on websites and mobile devices.
Maarten Van Horenbeeck, chief information security officer of Zendesk said in a statement Wednesday the company became aware of the accessed data on September 24 when a third party notified them of the leak. The bulk of the account data accessed included PII data tied to its Support and Chat service, but also included expired trial accounts and accounts that are no longer active.
The company said for that smaller subset of 700 customers, the unknown third parties accessed Transport Layer Security encryption keys provided to Zendesk by customers along with configuration settings of apps installed from the Zendesk app marketplace or private customer apps.
“This may include integration keys used by those apps to authenticate against third-party services,” wrote Van Horenbeeck.
The company, who counts Airbnb, Stanley Black and Decker and Fossil as customers, said affected users are advised to “rotate all credentials for the respective app” used during the vulnerable time period.
“If you uploaded a TLS certificate to Zendesk prior to November 1st of 2016 which is still valid, we recommend you upload a new certificate, and revoke the old one,” Van Horenbeeck said. “API Tokens in Chat do not need to be rotated.”
He added that there is no indication that other authentication credentials were accessed.
The rotation of credentials will impact a larger group of customers and products that share authentication with the Zendesk Support service. Those include the Guide, Talk and Explore Zendesk products. When users log in to one of the products they will be prompted to reset their passwords.
Additional precautions are being made by Zendesk for its Chat APIs for customers that haven’t changed their password since 2016.
“Note that if you utilize basic authentication into the Zendesk or Chat APIs through your password, you will need to reestablish your connection to those APIs upon changing your password. This password rotation will not impact the use of API or OAuth tokens,” according to the note.
Access of Zendesk data by a third party may also have implications under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Zendesk is alerting customers they may have to report this incident to their Data Protection Authority (DPA). A DPA is an agency within each European Union country responsible for GDPR assistance and enforcement.
“Zendesk’s customers are the Data Controllers of Service Data, and Zendesk is a Data Processor of that Service Data when it is performing the Zendesk Service. This means that it is up to each customer to determine if it is required under Article 33 of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) to notify its Supervisory Authority, depending on whether the relevant risk thresholds have been met under the GDPR,” according to Zendesk.
source threatpost
Industry: Cyber Security

Latest Jobs
-
- Identity Channel Partner Manager | London
- London
- N/A
-
Identity Channel Partner Manager | London Location: South East UK (commutable to London) We are working with a Cyber Security business who are looking for a Channel Partner Manager to drive and grow relationships across their identity ecosystem. Prior experience working within VARs, distributors, vendors or resellers in the identity space is essential. You must have experience working with technologies such as CyberArk, Sailpoint, Okta etc Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: Build, maintain and develop strong relationships with channel partners. Work closely with partner sales teams to support growth drive sales opportunities. Identify and onboard new partners while strengthening existing partnerships. Act as the key point of contact for all channel-related activity. If you are an experienced channel professional, with experience in the Identity space and are ready for your next challenge, apply today.
-
- Service Architect- DACH regions
- Germany
- Upto €110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Lead Service Architect with the authority and experience to take control of complex, multi-million-euro outsourcing bids. This role is about leading the Service/ solutioning effort, bringing structure to chaos, and driving the entire bid team to deliver winning proposals. The company area a global managed services business working with enterprise and public sector clients, across Cloud, End-User Computing, Digital Workplace, Service Desk, and Network Infrastructure. What You’ll Do: Lead Service/ solution design from qualification to contract. Control bid teams — architects, pricing, delivery, and SMEs. Break down RFPs/RFIs into actionable, costed, client-ready solutions. Present internally and to clients at decision-maker level. Run solution workshops, own the architecture, and shape the financial model. You’ll Need: Experience working as a Service architect, Service Manager or Customer Success Manager R Gravitas to lead and drive teams through high-stakes bids. Deep knowledge of managed services delivery and commercial models. Strong technical grasp: Cloud, Security, EUC, Unified Comms, Service Desk, and more. Experience leading deals across onshore, offshore, and hybrid delivery models.
-
- Deal Architect- DACH region
- Germany
- Upto €110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Lead Deal Architect with the authority and experience to take control of complex, multi-million-euro outsourcing bids. This role is about leading the solutioning/ Service effort, bringing structure to chaos, and driving the entire bid team to deliver winning proposals. The company is a global managed services business providing solutions to enterprise and public sector clients, across Cloud, End-User Computing, Digital Workplace, Service Desk, and Network Infrastructure. What You’ll Do: Lead the deal from qualification to contract. Control bid teams — architects, pricing, delivery, and SMEs. Break down RFPs/RFIs into actionable, costed, client-ready solutions. Present internally and to clients at decision-maker level. Run solution workshops, own the architecture, and shape the financial model. Be responsible for the service Wrap and ensuring the Service meets clients requirements You’ll Need: A back ground with IT Services Experience in a similar type of role, for example: Deal, Service, or Solution Architect in ICT outsourcing. Gravitas to lead and drive teams through high-stakes bids. Deep knowledge of managed services delivery and commercial models. Strong technical knowledge: Cloud, Security, EUC, Unified Comms, Service Desk, and more. Experience leading deals across onshore, offshore, and hybrid delivery models.
-
- Pre Sales Lead- IT Services
- Germany
- Upto €100,000 plus benefits
-
As the Pre-Sales Lead (Sales Engineer/ Solution Architect) you will drive large-scale ICT managed services and outsourcing deals (from €0.5M to €20M+). You'll work directly with Business Development and clients to design high-impact solutions across Cloud (Azure, IaaS, SaaS, PaaS), EUC, Unified Comms, Security (SIEM, PAM), Networks, and Smart Workplaces. What You’ll Do: Lead the end-to-end pre-sales cycle — from RFI/RFP to contract. Design innovative, client-specific solutions with technical & commercial impact. Present at CxO level and steer proposal strategies & financial models. Collaborate closely with Portfolio, Service Desk, Field, and Digital Workplace teams. Support deal shaping with strong knowledge of ITIL, SIAM, Automation, and cost analysis. What You’ll Bring: Have strong experience in pre-sales or solution architecture. Experience with €M+ managed service deals. Deep technical expertise in modern ICT stack and enterprise IT services. Strong German (C1) and English communication skills. Certifications: ITIL v3/v4 required; SIAM, ISO20000 desirable.