Ebay users, like myself, change your password

eBay on Friday put a notice on its home page urging users to change their passwords after security experts had criticized the auction site for failing to promptly alert customers about a massive break-in and data theft.

The notice, which includes a link to the password reset process, was part of the advice eBay had given its users on Wednesday to immediately change their passwords.

That same day eBay announced a huge data breach in late February and early March. Hackers made off with the user database, which contained names, email and street addresses, phone numbers and passwords for an estimated 145 million eBay users. eBay said that the user information was encrypted.

The attackers compromised a "small number of employee log-in credentials," eBay said, to gain access to its network, then scoured the firm's systems before making off with the database. The San Jose, Calif. company discovered the break-in earlier this month.

"Take a moment to change your password," said Devin Wening, president of eBay Marketplaces, in a notice on the website. "This will help further protect you; it's always a good practice to periodically update your password."