Russian Hacker Selling 1.5 Million Facebook Accounts; Change Your Password Immediately
According to Mashable, a Russian hacker named Kirllos is claiming to have obtained 1.5 million Facebook IDs and is planning to sell them for as low as per 1000 IDs. If the hacker’s claims are true, the 1.5 million accounts represent approximately 1 in every 300 Facebook users.
In an article for eWeek, Rick Howard, director of cyber-intelligence at iDefense, explains how the exposed Facebook accounts could just be the beginning of a more orchestrated cyberattack.
“Once you have the name and address and other profile-type information from a social networking site, you can use it to corroborate your way into debit card accounts and bank accounts through social engineering, ” Howard added. “You could also use these accounts as a platform to distribute malware through the friend system. Even as a security guy, I have to double and triple clutch when it comes to accepting friend invites from people that I do not know.”
Facebook has yet to respond to the accuracy of the claim, but just to be safe you should change your Facebook log-in information immediately. To change your password, click the Account tab in the upper right hand corner of your profile and select Account Settings. From there, select the Change option next to Password and you will be prompted to input your old password and select a new one.
If you need help figuring out a solid new password, we encourage you to check out these password tips from ReputationDefender CEO Michael Fertik. We will update the ReputationDefender Blog with the latest details on this story as more information becomes available.
