What Experts Have to Say About the 272 Million Email Account Breach

BY:

There were hundreds of millions of email usernames and passwords that were breached and made available thanks to Russian hackers on the black market. According to Reuter’s Alex Holden, CIO revealed 272 million.

Data breach

Most of these affected email accounts are with Mail.ru, which is the most popular email service provider in Russia. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are affected, however not as severe as Mail.ru.

Hackers know that many users like to keep their favorite passwords. Attackers reuse old passwords found on old accounts to break into other accounts of the same user. It’s common to see a username/ password with the same credentials at a different organization.

Many sources reveal that this hacker is known as the “The Collector”, the methods used are unknown. His firm studies cyber threats in forums and chatrooms.

These notorious hackers noted that they find and target individuals that can be used multiple times. In other words, username/passwords that can be reused for different organizations. For example, it’s not recommended to use the same usernames for banking, email, e-commerce sites, with the same password combination.

Our engineers are not going to say, “Don’t change your password.” Based on the articles, such as Reuters, it sounds more like these were harvested accounts (Keyloggers on infected machines) than security breaches on servers. The moral of the story is to consider changing passwords regularly; stay away from reusing old passwords.

If an incident were to happen at an organization—the amount of negative PR is not worth it. Don’t let your organization become a target! Don’t let those audits sneak up on you, call now for a risk assessment.

Related Blogs

  • The image is a black chalkboard with a yellow target and arrow at the center over the top of intersecting lines indicating computer system complexity." alt="">
    AWS Cloud Computing for University Systems

    AWS cloud computing for universities & colleges At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, many colleges and universities discovered the advantages of accessibility, flexibility, and organizational...

    Learn More
  • A customer service agent utilizes four benefits of Amazon Connect customer profiles to provide a better experience to each customer." alt="">
    4 Big Benefits of Amazon Connect Customer Profiles

    Having access to the correct data when providing customer service is crucial. Without the help of the right technology, this wouldn’t be possible. It’s also inherently necessary due to the volume...

    Learn More
  • The image shows an overhead view of two agents sitting at a shared desk and doing a first bump after providing a high-quality customer experience with Amazon Connect." alt="">
    Amazon Connect – Empower Agents to Offer Exceptional Customer Service and Deliver Quality

    Empower agents for exceptional customer service.     Customer service impacts a business on multiple fronts. First, high-quality and effective customer service builds a brand image and...

    Learn More