LinkedIn security failure behind recent password hacking $MSFT #safety-security
LinkedIn, which is the process of being acquired by Microsoft (MSFT) appears to be the source of many recent hacks as a result of a security failure back in 2012.
Nearly two billion old passwords can be viewed for as little as $2 apiece at a database called LeakedSource, run by anonymous operators. Investigators say 1% to 8% of the LinkedIn usernames and passwords will work on other services, giving hackers a way to take over accounts elsewhere. LinkedIn, meanwhile, reset its own users’ passwords and fixed a security hole that had allowed data to be stolen in 2012. The company is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft, a $26.2 billion deal that’s expected to close by year’s end.Hacking creates a dilemma for operators of other popular consumer web services. They can require all users to change their passwords, and risk losing some users. If they don’t force password changes, users’ accounts could be hacked.
Source: Password Hacking Forces Big Tech Companies to Act – WSJ
