The story of user information being stolen on Monster.com has been in the news about a week now. I noticed that its starting to pick up steam with articles on the front page of major news sites and finally on the front page of the Money section in Sunday’s USA Today. 
There are two reasons why I wanted to comment on this story. First its nice to see these types of stories circulated within the major news providers. It’s unfortunate when any type of private information is leaked to malicious users but when that happens it’s nice to see the public clamor and highlight these types of stories. Secondly end users have to get more involved when it comes to controlling their personal information. When an incident like this happens contact the organization that has your personal information let them that loose controls over your private information isn’t kosher. This story hit home for me because I have my resume on their site, so I contacted them and let them know how I felt. You can also contact them here if you like. Even if this incident doesn’t involve your information you can voice your concerns. Also as a consumer you can take your business elsewhere. There are now plenty of other job boards where you can post your information. Monster.com is no longer the monopoly they once where. As a matter of fact my last job was secured through CarrerBuilder.com, so I encourage others to use services that value your personal information.
Amado Hidlago of Symantec has written a nice technical article explaining what happened and how it may effect you.