Gmail users have been warned to check their accounts after it was revealed that more than 183 million passwords were stolen in a data breach.
Australian cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt called the incident a "massive corpus" of compromised data, amounting to 3.5 terabytes - the equivalent of 875 full HD movies.
He added that it's not just Gmail that's affected, but also Outlook, Yahoo and other providers, noting that Gmail always figures heavily in these incidents.
How to check if you are affected
Go to the Have I Been Pwned page…
and enter your email address.
Click “Check” and you will see if your email has been part of any data breaches, including this latest incident.
Even if you weren't part of the latest breach, you may have been involved in other data breaches dating back decades.
If your email is found to be affected, you should change your password immediately and enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
What are “stealer logs”?
The incident is not a single breach, but a collection of "stealer logs," data files generated by malware.
These logs distribute personal information across multiple channels and platforms.
It's not just your email password that's at risk, but also the passwords you use for Amazon, eBay, Netflix, and other services with the same email address.
Users who use the same password for multiple platforms are more at risk.
Safety recommendations
Security experts suggest:
Strong and unique passwords: at least 16 characters, with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Password manager: use services like 1Password to store and create unique passwords for each platform.
Two-factor authentication (2FA): for a higher level of protection.
Continuous monitoring of data breaches: stay aware of every new incident that is published.
A Google spokesperson said there is no new attack specific to Gmail, but users should enable two-step verification and consider using passkeys as a more secure alternative to passwords. /GazetaExpress/
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