Data breaches are [currently and generally] a major privacy issue, and that’s why we decided to ask you, our readers, how you feel about your credentials being exposed to exploits. The worst part is that the knowledge of data incidents usually becomes evident years after the actual breach, or when a hacker starts selling the database on the Dark Web for pennies.
That being said, if you are an active social media user, and you’re on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, BeautifulPeople, etc., you should definitely check if your user credentials are safe.
How Can I Check If My E-mail Address Is Safe from Data Breaches?
To make sure your e-mail address hasn’t been part of a data breach, all you need to do is go to HaveIBeenPwned(.)com. This website is created and supported by Troy Hunt, and its sole purpose is to provide accurate information about data incidents.
Top 10 mega breaches, according to Troy Hunt and HaveIBeenPwned:
- 359,420,698 MySpace accounts
- 164,611,595 LinkedIn accounts
- 152,445,165 Adobe accounts
- 93,338,602 VK accounts
- 65,469,298 tumblr accounts
- 40,767,652 Fling accounts
- 30,811,934 Ashley Madison accounts
- 27,393,015 Mate1.com accounts
- 13,545,468 000webhost accounts
- 13,186,088 R2Games accounts
After we have cleared the high probability of account breaches, let’s see how our users feel about the sensitive subject.
We asked you…
Are You Concerned with Your User Credentials Being Sold on the Dark Web?
As you can see, a prevalent number of users feel that their habits are healthy and hence, they’re not too worried about being exploited. However, we highly advise you to double-check and subscribe to the service provided by HaveIBeenPwned. If you subscribe, you’ll be notified whenever your e-mail account is breached.
On the other hand, users who read infosec news and watch Mr. Robot (season 2 is impatiently awaited!) tend to worry more, as they know how easy it is to breach an account… and the person who goes with it!
A small per cent of our readers say don’t know what a data breach is… but we are pretty sure those are the users with a vivid sense of humor!
You cannot be reading SensorsTechForum and know nothing about big data issues… Or can you?
Milena Dimitrova
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum since the project started. A professional with 10+ years of experience in creating engaging content. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles! Follow Milena @Milenyim
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