- Remember how optimistic we all were that 2019 would be a better year than 2018
- We’re barely three weeks into the new year and just had one of the biggest data leaks on record
- A massive database 87GB has been found in hacker forums containing 12,000 files with 2.7 billion records
- It as 773 million unique email accounts and more than 21 million different passwords
- Here is how to see if you are among them
- All of these passwords and emails are logged a well-known site called “Have I Been Pwned”
- https://haveibeenpwned.com/
- As the name suggests, the site tracks hacks, leaks, and any other type of breach, allowing users to quickly determine if they might have been exposed
- Just head to the Have I Been Pwned website and enter your email address in the search box
- If your account was exposed in this or any other breach, the site will let you know
- If it says you have been exposed, you should change the password for your email account immediately
- You can also search by password to see if passwords that you might use in more than one place (bad)
- For your main, important accounts today, (bank, email, etc) – You should also enable two-factor authentication whenever possible
- If you want to take your check-up one step further, you can ee if your password is among the ones stolen in this breach.
