The Internet security weakness called Heartbleed has prompted HealthCare.gov to reset every consumer’s password on the health insurance exchange website.
According to a Health Insurance Marketplace email sent Wednesday, April 23:
“HealthCare.gov uses many layers of protections to secure your information and we’ve recently enhanced our systems to add additional protections. While there’s no indication that the Heartbleed vulnerability has been used against HealthCare.gov or that any personal information has ever been at risk, we have reset consumers’ passwords out of abundance of caution.
“This means the next time you visit the website, you’ll need to create a new password. We strongly recommend you create a unique password – not one that you’ve already used on other websites.
How to reset your password
- Use the online Forgot Password feature
- Enter your username and click “Send email”
- Wait for the “Forgot Marketplace Password” email we’ll send you to create a new password for your account