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Security

Securus, that phone tracking company, has reportedly been hacked

Oh great. The company that lets cops monitor calls in real time across the US seems to have been breached.

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Are they listening?

James Martin/CNET

That didn't take long. Securus -- you know, that company that lets cops track phones in real time with what amounts to a "pinky promise," according to US Sen. Ron Wyden -- has reportedly been hacked.

The hacker, according to Motherboard, was able to get away with, at a minimum, a spreadsheet containing 2,800 logins and poorly encrypted passwords, some of which had already been cracked. Motherboard says it tested a number of logins to corroborate the hacker's story.

We can't independently confirm the story ourselves yet, and it's not clear if these particular logins would allow hackers to track phones. Securus provides other services beyond phone tracking, according to its website.

Last Thursday, The New York Times revealed that Securus Technologies, which monitors calls to US prison inmates, has been used by a former Missouri sheriff to monitor people's phones and track their location. Wyden has called on federal authorities to investigate the company and its practices as they relate to people's privacy.

Securus didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.