Breaking News: How Secure are Your Accounts?

NBCNews announced this morning that the passwords for 272.3 million email accounts have been recovered from hackers in Russia.

Of the 272.3 million, 40 million were Yahoo Mail accounts, 33 million were Microsoft Hotmail accounts, and 24 million were Gmail accounts.

According to NBCNews, hackers give away, sell, and abuse the information obtained through these stolen accounts. They also use the accounts to hack contacts and their credentials, multiplying the threats of financial theft and fraud.

Companies like Microsoft do their best to safeguard against unauthorized logins to your accounts, but each user and business should take precautions with their passwords.

These precautions include using a unique password for each of your accounts rather than re-using the same passwords, and changing your passwords regularly.

Given today’s announcement, Boot Networks recommends that you change your passwords, taking into consideration any consequences of the change, and that you call your email provider for information or instructions regarding how this news could affect your applications.

Of course, if you’re concerned about your home or small business accounts and would like additional help, our technicians are only a phone call away. For a small fee, we can remotely walk you through safeguarding your accounts and applications.

Changing your passwords often and using unique passwords can sometimes seem like more trouble than they’re worth, but today’s news shows how crucial it is to take these small steps.