LinkedIn data breach: 164.6M accounts exposed
Severity: critical · Patch status: no-fix-needed · Since 2016-05-21
In May 2016, LinkedIn had 164 million email addresses and passwords exposed. Originally hacked in 2012, the data remained out of sight until being offered for sale on a dark market site 4 years later. The passwords in the breach were stored as SHA1 hashes without salt, the vast majority of which were quickly cracked in the days following the release of the data. Exposed data: email addresses, passwords. The breach dates from May 5, 2012; Have I Been Pwned loaded it on May 21, 2016.
What to do
- If you had a LinkedIn account, change its password and the password of any other account that reused it.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever it is offered.
- Check whether your addresses are in this breach at https://haveibeenpwned.com.
- Expect targeted phishing that quotes the leaked details; verify any unexpected contact out of band.
Sources
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