Google provides update on Gmail account leak
Yesterday, we reported on a new security breach that potentially affected up to 5 million Gmail users. To recap, hackers apparently obtained nearly 5 million Gmail usernames and passwords, posting them to a Russian bitcoin forum. English, Russian, and Spanish-speaking users appeared to have been affected, and initial reports indicated that up to 60% of the usernames on the leaked list were active.
Today, Google has given us more details, confirming that only a very small subset of accounts in that database were actually affected (Google says it was under 2%). Furthermore, the search giant says that it has already taken the necessary steps to protect those users. Apparently most of the other accounts were either already purged or simply don’t exist. Most importantly, no one is currently in danger of this breach.
Still, if you are one of those 2% of affected users, you should take precautions to change not only your Google passwords, but the passwords of any other accounts that share the same password as your Google account. Too many people use the same password for everything, and also neglect to regularly change their passwords, so it’s important to remind people of these good, common sense security practices.
[Google]
