1.6 Million Login Details Dumped on the Web

Is your personal data ever safe online? I find myself constantly asking that question, and today is no different. This morning, reports surfaced that 1.6 million sensitive records were published online by hacker group GhostShell, including email account information, private messages, and passwords.

The Attack and the Team Behind It

GhostShell is a spinoff of the infamous hacktivist (hacker/activist) group Anonymous, and this latest breach is part of their #ProjectWhiteFox campaign. Like most hacktivist groups, the goal behind GhostShell’s activity is not necessarily financial profit. Instead, the group’s stated goal is to promote freedom of information online.

How they’ll accomplish this by stealing innocent bystanders’ login information remains a mystery.

The group claimed it sent a warning to security executives about insecure servers targeted in the attack, and the list of affected organizations is extensive; it includes NASA, the European Space Agency, and several educational institutions. Prior to this most recent hack, GhostShell took responsibility for other high-profile breaches as well. The group claims this will be its last operation carried out in 2012.

How Can You Protect Your Data?

I’ve discussed safe password use in the past, and this most recent breach gives me an opportunity to speak more on what our team at McAfee has done to help our customers keep accounts safe and protected.

One of the biggest concerns we hear on a daily basis is that while most people know they should use multiple passwords, remembering so many login details is a hassle for some and nearly impossible for others.

Introduced just this month, McAfee SafeKey is a password management system that takes the stress out of remembering passwords. Passwords and usernames are synced across all devices, so users only need to log in once to seamlessly access all of their accounts. Key features include:

• Access to favorite sites with just one click
• Secure management and auto-population for usernames and passwords
• Creation of a unique, complex password for each account
• Synched login information across all devices including PCs, Macs, Android (including Kindle Fire), and iOS

SafeKey is now available for anyone with McAfee All Access. With cross-device password management, McAfee customers are able to better secure their accounts from the threat of a data breach and quickly make changes should they become a victim.

For more on McAfee All Access and the SafeKey password manager, visit our website, and be sure to follow @McAfeeConsumer on Twitter.

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