LinkedIn password theft: FBI step in to help

LinkedIn, on their blog, updated that passwords were leaked yesterday. The post says:

Yesterday we learned that approximately 6.5 million hashed LinkedIn passwords were posted on a hacker site. Most of the passwords on the list appear to remain hashed and hard to decode, but unfortunately a small subset of the hashed passwords was decoded and published.

To the best of our knowledge, no email logins associated with the passwords have been published, nor have we received any verified reports of unauthorized access to any member’s account as a result of this event.

The blogpost also mentions that the company is working closely with the FBI on the case.

LinkedIn’s blogpost is busy warning users about security measures regarding passwords. The basics remain pretty much the same, change your password every six months, don’t use the same password for different sites, add special characters, numbers to it etc…

It seems after the attack the company has also doubled up security on how its storing user passwords. LinkedIn’s blog assures users that their passwords have been ‘salted’ as well as hashed. Hashed is a common form of storing passwords for web applications. But salting makes it doubly harder for hackers to crack into a database. For more on salting click here.

Source: FirstPost

Prateek Panda

Prateek is the Founder of TheTechPanda. He's passionate about technology startups and entrepreneurship and enjoys speaking to new founders every day. Prateek has also been consistently regarded as one of the top marketing experts in the region.

Recent Posts

The importance of AI-powered fact-checking & synthetic content detection

The digital world has reached a stage where information spreads faster than it can be…

3 days ago

Funding alert: Tech startups that raked in moolah this month

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent funding events in the tech ecosystem, seeking…

3 days ago

If Your Documentation Takes Two Clicks to Open, It’s Already Falling Behind

Over the years, I’ve worked on all kinds of projects—big, small, chaotic, overengineered, “temporary,” allegedly…

4 days ago

AI Launches: Enterprise software, ecommerce, cybersecurity & search

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent launches in the superfast field of Artificial…

4 days ago

AI-powered explosive detection: Helping authorities stay ahead of threats

With threats becoming more complex than ever, explosive risks are evolving rapidly, posing serious risks…

4 days ago

SIA-India pre-budget submission urges satellite backbone to empower 40,000 connectivity-fragile Gram Panchayats

SatCom Industry Association (SIA-India) has called for the launch of a National Satellite Connectivity Mission…

5 days ago