Russian hackers accused of stealing billions of IDs

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Should you be concerned about thieves getting your credit card information or using your identity?

Many people are after Russian hackers stole more than 1.2 billion user names and passwords from websites around the globe.

It is being called the largest data breach in history.

Hold Security says more than 420,000 websites, including many leaders in industries around the world were hit.

It says the hackers not only targeted the companies but also every site that their victims visited.

Raymond Yu with BCIT’s School of Computing and Academic Studies explains how so many people were affected.

“When they hack into a user account within the user account, you may also have other contacts you see, sort of like a chain reaction so the magnitude is actually quite large.”

Victor Beitner, President of Cyber Security Canada says thieves can do a lot with this information.

“You could lose your identity. They can try these passwords in social media accounts like your Apple account. They can purchase gift cards. There is a lot of online services that allow you to login with one user name and password.”

So far, no company names targeted by thieves have been released.

Security experts warn you should change your passwords and carefully check overall credit card statements.

 

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