Recent International Mass Password Hacking

[Paganalexandria]

I got this message from my bank, and thought this news should be spread far and wide:

You received this urgent message

Category: Broadcast Message
Date: 08/13/2014
According to recent media reports, Russian Internet criminals have stolen an estimated 1.2 billion usernames and passwords, including more than 500 million email addresses. So what does this mean to you?

Potentially any internet/online account usernames and passwords could be at risk – unfortunately the specific sites or accounts affected are not known at this time.

Those at highest risk include:

Those who reuse passwords on multiple accounts, especially passwords relating to email, banking, credit card, and investments accounts;
Accounts with weak passwords; and
Accounts at sites with low security for changing passwords (e.g., not utilizing alternate contact information for password recovery).
So what can YOU can do to protect yourself?

Change internet/online account passwords;
Strengthen online passwords – at least 8 random characters with a mixture of upper and lower case and special characters;
Do not reuse passwords, especially for your main email, banking, credit card, and investments accounts; and
Regularly update your passwords (e.g., every few months).
Before you make any password changes, ensure that your system is not infected with a virus and has the most up-to-date operating system. For Windows, go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. For Macs, use the Software Update in System Preferences.

For additional information on safe computing practices, including our tips to avoid falling victim to a phishing attack, please visit http://www.ttu.edu/safecomputing.

In our current Internet climate, we encourage you to be vigilant!

[Michelle, Mod with the Bod]

Thanks for sharing Pagan.

[Paganalexandria]

You're welcome.