"Second Life," the fast-growing online site where hundreds of thousands of people play out fantasy lives online, has suffered a computer security breach that exposed the real-world personal data of its users.

Linden Lab, the San Francisco-based company behind the "Second Life" site, said in a letter to its 650,000 users this weekend that its customer database, including names, addresses, passwords and some credit card data, had been compromised.

All users--or residents in "Second Life" parlance--are being required to request a new password. Some 286,000 residents have used the site in the past 60 days, according to a count on the home page.

C/Net News