For many, finding a mate on eHarmony was like stealing a password off of LinkedIn: pretty easy. Both websites had a combined 7.5 million passwords stolen by hackers yesterday, with LinkedIn accounting for the lion’s share at nearly 6.5 million.
The recent hack job will only add to the number of cybercrimes, which cost the U.S. nearly $500 million last year. It also puts social media users, and any site that requires a password, on notice for how susceptible their passwords and personal information can be.
LinkedIn and eHarmony made passwords invalid yesterday for users who had theirs stolen. The passwords were still considered secure due to its cryptographic functions even in the hands of the Russian hacker who claimed to have stolen them.
eHarmony suggested in its blog post for its users, who have had to change their password, to make a strong password of at least eight characters, not use the same password for multiple sites, and change their password every few months. After resetting the password, users can now get on with reading the next blog post “No More Mister Nice Guy: A Guide to Attracting Partners.”
Another Breach
Last.fm joined the list today of social sites to have its security breached. The music listening and sharing site acknowledged the leak of user passwords on its blog. The site is urging its users to create a new password.
Follow Dustin Bass on Twitter @dbass_cmn
Facebook Comments