Reports have been circulating since last week of a data breach from a database containing 26 billion records. These include sensitive information from popular sites such as LinkedIn, Dropbox and X (formerly Twitter).
The researchers who found the data on an unsecured page were from SecurityDiscovery.com and Cybernews. They have warned that the data leaked may lead to a spike in cyber-crime.
They discovered 12 terabytes of records, some of which are duplicates but would still prove to correspond to billions of online accounts. The breached data is from hundreds of different sites and likely a number of separate data breaches.
Data breaches are nothing new and there have been large-scale breaches over the years, with data coming from websites both big and small. These include 533 million users affected by a Facebook data breach in 2019. And data relating to 3 billion Yahoo accounts which was leaked in 2013.
how do you check if a data breach affects you and what should you do?
To check if data relating to any online accounts has been leaked, simply head to https://haveibeenpwned.com/. Here you can enter your email address into a search bar and then click enter to reveal whether your data has been leaked and during what breaches. The website also provides a brief breakdown of what type of data was leaked during that breach.
If your data has been breached it’s not the end of the world! This is because many breaches don’t include sensitive data like passwords or personal information. However, it is recommended you take these steps; Update your passwords, enable 2-factor authentication and use different passwords for different accounts.
Following these simple steps will help keep you that extra bit safer online! Remember, when creating passwords, use long and strong passwords or passphrases to keep your accounts secure.
If you ever need help securing your online accounts or getting things setup on a new device then make sure to give the friendly team at Geeks on Wheels a bell on 0800 424 335!