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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |
| Millions Of Gmail Accounts Hacked, Was Yours One Of Them? | |
| 2014-09-12 | |
| [Fusion] Time to change your password again. A database containing nearly 5 million Gmail user accounts and passwords was leaked on Bitcoin Security, a popular Russian website devoted to the cryptocurrency. The text file was published on Tuesday night by user tvskit, according to CNews, the Russian news outlet that first broke the story. The leaker claimed that the majority of the accounts belong to users who speak English, Russian, or Spanish, and that approximately 60 percent are active. The passwords not only give access to Gmail, but a slew of other Google services such as Drive and the mobile payment system Google Wallet. Svetlana Anurova, a Google representative, told CNews that the tech giant is aware of the breach and encouraged users to select a stronger password and enable two-step verification, a security measure where users are required to provide a passcode sent to their mobile devices before any changes can be made to their account. The Gmail leak comes on the heels of two other major security breaches leaked on the same Bitcoin forum, which targeted Russian email service prodiver Mail.ru and search engine Yandex. Those two breaches affected nearly 6 million Internet users. Find out if your account was compromised You can verify whether your account was affected by clicking here
UPDATE 3:01 PM Google issued the following statement to Fusion: "The security of our users' information is a top priority for us. We have no evidence that our systems have been compromised, but whenever we become aware that accounts may have been, we take steps to help those users secure their accounts." | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #5 There are days where I think simply blocking all RU and CN IP addresses would remedy a lot of what ails the internet. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2014-09-12 15:11 |
| #4 Maybe the GIVERnment requested Google to be able to provide actual passwords upon request? |
| Posted by: Airandee 2014-09-12 12:23 |
| #3 Sounds like a good question, CF. And it might not be practical for Google but I started blocking Yandex at my firewall a long time ago. Can't trust Russians on the Internet. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-09-12 11:32 |
| #2 The question I have (and nobody appears to be asking...) is: Why were the passwords stored in cleartext? Does google actually store passwords, even in text files in cleartext? Not even using one-way encryption like unix? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2014-09-12 09:10 |
| #1 More info here - Claims that Gmail has been hacked and five million passwords stolen appear to be overstated at best. Remember, why should journalist (who lack depth of knowledge) ever be questioned about their reporting? They have all those fact checkers and editors to cover that. Right? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-09-12 08:45 |