Recently, the chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter all had their email accounts hacked. They regained control of their accounts within hours but many others — especially those who re-use passwords — haven’t been so lucky. Hackers can use software that gleans new passwords from old ones, and nearly two billion old passwords are for sale for as little as $2 on LeakedSource, a database operated anonymously. The pattern of re-using corporate passwords on LinkedIn and other sites is a growing concern. Continue reading Re-Used Passwords a Major Culprit in the Rise of Data Abuse

According to Twitter, the personal data of nearly 33 million of its users are presently at risk due to malware that may have trolled the information from users, not the company. Millions of usernames, emails and, in some cases, passwords are listed for sale on the dark web. Similar leaks in the past month have impacted users of LinkedIn, Myspace and some Russian-language sites. “The website that published the Twitter passwords, LeakedSource, says it has more than 1.8 billion records in its database,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “LeakedSource sells access to these records for a fee.” Twitter is encouraging its users to change their passwords. Continue reading Personal Credentials Leaked From Millions of Twitter Accounts