6 Million Passwords Stolen from LinkedIn

LinkedIn, the popular social network geared towards business networking and communication, has reported a major breach in security. A file containing over six million passwords was leaked and posted on the Internet. What does this mean for you, and what course of action should you take?

Change your Password Now!

Although 6 million is a pretty small number compared to LinkedIn's 161 million accounts, it is better to not play the lottery here and get your password changed. Log onto your LinkedIn account and hover your mouse over your name on the top right corner. Click settings from the drop down menu and you'll be able to change your password. Be sure to use a secure password that you aren't using elsewhere, and include numbers and letters and steer clear of words found in the dictionary. If your LinkedIn password is the same password you use on other sites, you will want to change those passwords too. Remember, if a hacker has your email and password for one site, they can get into any other accounts that use those same credentials. Creating unique passwords for each account is your safest bet. LinkedIn says it will notify users who have had their accounts compromised, but we recommend not waiting for that. Also, it is possible that the hackers only posted a partial list, so it is possible that your password was stolen without Linkedin knowing.