Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    LinkedIn’s 2012 Breach Still Puts Users at Risk

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    May 18, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      LinkedIn breach

      Security experts time and again will recommend that users change their passwords regularly. That’s advice that 100 million LinkedIn users hopefully took to heart, as hackers are now selling user information from a breach the social network first disclosed nearly two years ago.

      Back in June 2012, LinkedIn reported a breach of its system that it claimed only impacted 6.5 million user passwords.

      However, as many as 100 million LinkedIn members’ passwords were potentially stolen in the 2012 breach, Cory Scott, director of information security at LinkedIn, revealed May 18.

      “Yesterday, we became aware of an additional set of data that had just been released that claims to be email and hashed password combinations of more than 100 million LinkedIn members from that same theft in 2012,” Scott wrote in a blog post. “We are taking immediate steps to invalidate the passwords of the accounts impacted, and we will contact those members to reset their passwords.”

      The passwords that hackers are selling are not the result of a new security breach, Scott said. In a video interview with eWEEK in August 2015, Scott detailed how LinkedIn manages security for its members. It’s a system that proactively will reset user passwords if credentials show up in a data dump. LinkedIn also provides users with optional two-factor authentication technology that would further minimize the potential impact of a breach.

      Additionally, LinkedIn makes it difficult for any potential attacker to immediately benefit from a breach’s credentials. LinkedIn uses both hashing as well as “salt” techniques to encrypt user passwords in its database making them largely unusable for attackers.

      Hashing is a mathematical function that transforms characters into a mixed value or “hash'” while a “salt” is a random data element that is included in a hash to make it more secure. By hashing a password, it is not immediately available to an attacker, in the same way that a plain text (non-hashed) password would be.

      Although LinkedIn has taken steps to protect users, there is still potential risk.

      “The resurgence of the 2012 LinkedIn hack does not come as a surprise, and more importantly, it highlights the breadth of illegal opportunities cyber-criminals have at their disposal when they get their hands on personal data, even if just email addresses and potential passwords,” Orlando Scott-Cowley, cyber-security strategist at Mimecast, wrote in an email to eWEEK.

      The value of an email address was also highlighted by Tod Beardsley, security research manager at Rapid7. The most valuable data in the LinkedIn compromise may not be the passwords at all, but the enormous registry of email addresses connected to working professionals, he said. “While people’s passwords can and should change routinely, email addresses and usernames persist for years without easy mechanisms to change them.”

      The risk from email alone is also one that Tony Anscome, AVG senior security evangelist, warns about. As a best practice following a security breach, Asncome recommends that people avoid using the same email address or profile name across multiple online accounts.

      Anscome suggests that users have a primary email address that is set aside exclusively for recovery of forgotten passwords and account information. A second email account could be used just for retail transactions, while a third is reserved for financial accounts and sensitive information, he said.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×