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Computerworld - Hackers have apparently accessed close to 6.5 million hashed passwords from a LinkedIn database andposted them and data associated with them online. So far,researchers say, about 60% of the unique passwords in the dump havebeen cracked and there are signs that the rest will soon be aswell. Here's some information for LinkedIn users specifically, and allInternet users in general. What happened? Surprisingly, it's not clear yet exactly what happened. Earlier this week, a 118MB file containing 6,458,020 hashedpassword was posted on a Russian hacker forum. The posters saidthey needed help in cracking the passwords. Security analysts who inspected the data dump noticed that many ofthe passwords appeared to be associated with LinkedIn memberaccounts, which led to the conclusion that all the passwordsbelonged to members of the social networking site for businessprofessionals. It remains unknown is how the data was obtained, howlong the hackers may have had access to it, and what other datamight have been accessed. How has LinkedIn responded publicly to the reports? The company has said precious little so far. Apart from a brief blog post confirming that "some" member passwords were compromised, the company hassaid nothing about the nature or scope of the compromise. The company says it is investigating the incident. Did the hackers obtain email addresses associated with thepasswords? That remains unclear as well. To this point, only the passwordshave surfaced online. But security analysts believe it's likely thehackers have accessed email addresses and other account data aswell. If User IDs were not obtained what's the big deal? If so, that would diminish the seriousness of the compromise.Typically however, password data is stored along with other accountdetails. So if someone had access to the passwords, they verylikely had access to other account information as well. The factthat the data has not surfaced could mean that either the hackersdon't have it, or they simply haven't released it. What does it mean to me? If you're a LinkedIn user, it's a good idea to change yourpassword, especially if you use the same password to access otheronline accounts. Make sure to use a STRONG password. If your password was compromised, you will not be able to use it tolog into your LinkedIn account. LinkedIn has said that it iscontacting users whose password has been compromised withinstructions on how to reset their password. The company has madeclear that the email with instructions on how to reset the passwordwill NOT contain any links. If you have not received an email yet,or if you are still able to access your account using your oldpassword, it means that either your password was not compromised,or that LinkedIn doesn't it yet. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Led Commercial Lighting Fixtures , China Led Miners Cap Lamp, and more. For more , please visit Mining Cap Lamp today!
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