Passwords Hacked!

[Paul Whybrow]

An article in today’s Daily Express warns that more than eight billion email accounts have been hacked.

Billions of passwords just leaked online! Check here to see if you are affected

I checked my five email accounts on the cybernews.com site, receiving a warning that three have been compromised.

Personal Data Leak Checker: Your Email & Data - Breached? | CyberNews

I changed all of my passwords.

For UK members of the Colony, be aware that there are bogus emails purporting to come from the DVLA stating that your car is currently untaxed and that you could be fined £1,000. I opened such a message, immediately suspicious as it contained several spelling errors, so I didn’t send them my bank account details!

DVLA warns motorists to be aware of scams

Remember when life was simple?

 

[Deleted member 1386]

Cheers! Like most, had no idea. This is a great service to our community!

(Lucky this time, apparently).

 

[Steve C]

Cybernews will end up with a huge email list out of this. You can expect their spam anytime soon

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Cybernews will end up with a huge email list out of this. You can expect their spam anytime soon

It's nice to be wanted....

 

[AgentPete]

Almost everyone will have had their login details and passwords (maybe much more data, too) hacked/stolen. There have been so many data breaches from so many big companies over the years that it’s pretty much inevitable

You can check here to see if your email address appears on some of the most severe data breaches of recent years:

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Don’t be shocked.

Mitigate your loss by having a different password for every site you visit. Use a password manager such as the excellent and free Keepass (altho the author would appreciate a donation):

KeePass Password Safe

Don’t give accurate personal information (e.g. date of birth) to websites that ask for it. Keep a note of the lies you tell (!) in Keepass, in case the website uses this info to check your identity at any point in the future, e.g. to retrieve lost passwords… which you’ll never suffer from if you use Keepass.

And fyi, the Colony will ask for your data of birth when you first register. This is only to keep people under the age of 18 out (and also to send you a birthday message!).