Summary
A recent data leak exposed 149 million passwords from platforms like Gmail and Facebook. The database with these credentials was not protected, leading to the leak being publicly accessible. Techniques exist to check if your information was compromised and advice is available on how to protect your accounts.
Key Facts
- 149 million account usernames and passwords were leaked.
- The leak included 48 million passwords for Gmail and 17 million for Facebook.
- Security analyst Jeremiah Fowler discovered the unprotected database.
- Google stated that the data came from malware logs and they have protections against such breaches.
- Only 34 percent of people update passwords monthly, contributing to vulnerabilities.
- People can check if their data was affected by visiting websites like Have I Been Pwned.
- It is recommended to use strong, regularly updated passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
- Google suggests using biometric authentication like fingerprints for better security.
