Billions of login credentials may have been leaked. Here's how you can protect your account

A report, independent cybersecurity news media network news published Wednesday Claimed to disclose 16 billion login certificates And compile online to the dataset, allowing cybercriminals to access accounts on online platforms such as Google, Apple and Facebook.

CBC News cannot independently verify the report, but cybersecurity experts say the incident is another reminder that people regularly change their passwords without using the same platform.

“About three to four times a year, visit the social platform you use, where you like to go, just change those passwords and keep them fresh,” said Enza Alexander, executive vice president of cybersecurity at Toronto.

“Don't reuse what you used to use. [passwords] With characters and numbers, it is very unique. ”

Alexander admits that this may make it harder for them to remember, but the cycling passwords on different platforms you use make it harder for cybercriminals to access your account and find your identity metrics.

Cybernews says there may be duplicate records in the dataset, meaning it is “impossible” to determine the exact number of credentials that may be exposed in the leak.

The leaked records do not appear to be from centralized violations targeting a specific company, but rather compile a dataset containing login credentials collected over time.

Cyber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ InfoStealers is a form of malware that violates the victim's device or system for sensitive information.

A Google spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News that the issue did not stem from Google's data breach.

Cybersecurity researcher and internet news writer Bob Diachenko was involved in leaks posted on social media platforms, noting that there is no single source of leaks.

“This number reflects the size of the different genetic logs that have been publicly exposed since the beginning of the year,” Diachenko said in the post.

There are still many issues with these leaked credentials, including the current login credentials. But as data breaches become more common in today’s world, experts continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining critical “cyber hygiene.”

How do you protect your credentials?

“It's hard to understand the accuracy of the leak and what is not accurate and what is not,” Alexander said, but noted that if people are worried about being affected, then it's more important to people.

She also advises people to look at different security products that the platform may offer, such as using Passkey instead of passwords to log in.

Some online services, such as Google and Apple, allow users to log in with an alternative to passwords using PassKey. This allows users to log into their account via facial recognition scan, fingerprint or pin.

Google encourages users to use passwordless authentication methods, such as Passkeys, in its statement, which is more secure. It also recommends using a tool like Google Password Manager, which will store passwords and notify users if there is any password involved in data breach, so they can take action.

“People see if they are affected, but it's very important that the impact on this situation is not good,” Alexander said.