It’s not the first time this has happened and it probably won’t be the last either. On this occasion, it has been discovered that millions of users may have suffered from this problem. And both email addresses and passwords can be compromised, according to the latest report published by cybernews. So there is no choice but to check if you are one of those affected. To do this, there are a series of options that allow you to check it quickly, especially since you should change the passwords.
From emails to passwords, that’s what this latest report indicates. This mega security breach shows how more than 3.8 billion users and passwords could have been leaked. A fact that was identified for the first time on September 18. At the moment, it is unknown if any threat actor may have obtained this data before the cybersecurity researchers themselves. So there is no choice but to check if your data is correct or if it has been leaked.
A database with millions of records
The database had 16 collections called ‘0-9 emails’ and ‘AF emails’, each with almost 240 million records. And, according to the researchers, if a cybercriminal has been able to get hold of this leaked data, they would have a huge amount of confidential data, ideal for phishing, identity theft, electronic fraud, among many other activities of cybercriminals.
It is not the first time that a database of this caliber has been leaked. At the time, a database belonging to Microsoft researchers working on AI, which had passwords and private keys, was exposed. Luckily, it was blocked before cybercriminals could access the data.
How do I know if my email has been leaked?
There are different tools that allow users to know if their emails and passwords are still safe from cyber attackers. They are even quite reliable and free. Among them, there is one that stands out from the rest of the alternatives. It is known under the name of Have I Been Pwned.
Basically it is a website that allows you to check if your email has been leaked on the Internet. So once on this website, you just have to write your email address. Once you have it, click on the ‘pwned?’ button on the right. and it will give you the answer. If the message below appears in green, good news, your address is still safe.
On the other hand, if the message is red, it means that it has been leaked in one of the different massive data leaks that have occurred over time, such as the last one that was discovered just a few days ago. In that case, change the password immediately.
On the other hand, there are also other web pages that help you find out if the password you use has been leaked on the Internet. In Kaspersky password checker Not only can you know if the key you use is secure, but it also informs you if it has appeared in any leaked password databases. So it is a good way to check that your data is still locked up and is not on the network or in the hands of cybercriminals.
