Security breach keeps getting worse; 412 million accounts exposed
Do you know what it feels like to have an online account hacked? You might feel annoyed if spambots started posting false Facebook statuses to your page or violated and scared if your online bank account gets compromised.
If the account was for a dating site, you could definitely add embarrassment to that list of emotions. From cheating to sexual fetishes, people visit these sites for all types of reasons; the main benefit is discretion. Hundreds of millions of people may be mortified because the "World's largest sex and swinger community" has been hacked.
Related: Hack reveals Democratic Congress members' phone numbers
Last month we told you that 73 million accounts were exposed when Adult FriendFinder's database was hacked. Well now, it appears the hack is much worse. Over 412 million accounts under the FriendFinder Network brand (which includes the sites AdultFriendFinder.com, iCams.com, Cams.com, and StripShow.com) have been leaked. If you have an account on any of these sites, I suggest you change your password immediately.
FriendFinder Networks actually made it pretty easy for the hackers. Passwords were stored in their database without any encoding or encryption. Some passwords were hashed but the algorithm that was used is easy to decipher.
The company doesn't even own Penthouse.com anymore, but they saved account information from that site so hackers have access to over 7 million of those accounts. And if you had an account but you deleted it, you're not off the hook yet. They also saved the email/password information from 15 million deleted accounts.
To prevent this in the future, there's an easy way to create complex passwords, safely store them, and retrieve them whenever you need them. Kaspersky Password Manager for Android and iOS devices, and Windows PCs and Macs, has a free version that you can use for up to 15 passwords.
When LeakedSource reported this breach, they also pointed out that users made the mistake of using very common passwords (over 900,000 people had the password 123456). Please use these tips for creating the perfect password to protect your accounts. You should also use a free password manager, such as Kaspersky Password Manager from our sponsor Kaspersky Lab. It makes it easy to create complex passwords, store them, and retrieve them when you need them.
