Ginormous Hack Targets 2 Million Accounts Spread 93,000 Websites Worldwide

(Flyinace2000)

About two million people should be checking your social media accounts and anything else one might have a login and password for: Hackers have snagged usernames and passwords for millions of Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo and other sites accounts, according to a new report.

Researchers at cybersecurity firm Trustwave say the ginormous data breach happened because of keylogging software maliciously installed on a whole lot of computers worldwide, reports CNNMoney.

The malware simply boosted login details for various websites over the past month and had been sending that information to servers controlled by the attackers.

In late November researchers were able to get a lock on the server, which is in the Netherlands. Once they were in they discovered account information for more than 93,000 websites. Yes, 93,000 — that’s a lot more than just Facebook.

Of course social media was a target hit hard by the hackers, with the below numbers showing just how widespread the attack was:

• 318,000 Facebook accounts

• 70,000 Gmail, Google+ and YouTube accounts

• 60,000 Yahoo accounts

• 22,000 Twitter accounts

• 9,000 Odnoklassniki accounts (a Russian social network)

• 8,000 ADP accounts (ADP says it counted 2,400)

• 8,000 LinkedIn accounts

Any company involved in the breach has been notified by Trustwave. So should you be worried about your account? ADP, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter all said they’ve notified any users affected and reset passwords if their accounts were compromised.

“We don’t have evidence they logged into these accounts, but they probably did,” said John Miller, a security research manager at Trustwave.

The trouble might not be over yet — the hack started Oct. 21 and could still be going, as researchers haven’t been able to track down other similar servers to the one they cracked in the Netherlands.

If you’re still worried run your antivirus software and make sure your security patches are up to date on all your Internet browsers, Adobe and Java.

2 million Facebook, Gmail and Twitter passwords stolen in massive hack [CNNMoney]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist