Got this from our tech people at the college

[ashling]

I apologize if this is not the appropriate forum

Dear Colleagues,

Security experts are reporting that 6.5 million passwords on the business-oriented social networking site LinkedIn have been leaked and are being shared on a Russian hacker site. If you have a LinkedIn account you should change your password immediately.

Unfortunately, many people use the same username and password on multiple websites and if you use the same account name and password on LinkedIn as you do on other sites I would recommend that you change those accounts as well. Hackers have programs that can run login attempts automatically on other sites hunting for successful access onto other systems.

Best practice is to use different login names and passwords on the internet in case a site that has your information gets hacked. This practice will decrease your vulnerability to the damages caused by hackers.

[MineralMan]

1. Confirmed in several places.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57448222-501465/6.5-million-linkedin-passwords-reportedly-leaked-on-russian-hacker-site/

This appears to be true.

Changed my password.

[RC]

2. Yeah, like we are supposed to keep track of multiple login names and change all of our different

password at regular intervals. Kept me in a job with passwords resets.
Most people would need a computer just to keep track of all that - with another added two or three log in and passwords.


1 to get past the hard drive encryption
2 to get past the operating system login
3 to get in to the password protected program with all the of login and passwords of reach.

I used to do Computer ITS stuff. There was one person that would write her passwords directly on the front of her beige monitor in pencil. Very seldom would she call for a password reset. Worked for her. And since everyone had their own computer, there was no real problem and she had quite a few passwords written there.

computer security is over rated. If someone wants in, they will figure our a way, regardless of logins and passwords. And with everything on servers, just try another computer or hack the internet connected server.

[lastlib]

3. Well, we don't have to make it EASY for the bad guys--or send engraved invitations...

[ashling]

7. My wife quipped that

she would need to contact these Russians to update her password since she has long forgotten that one.

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. KeePass

KeePass is a program which resides on your local computer which organizes your passwords.

Download, install then choose a strong master password that you can remember. The program can then generate strong unique passwords for each website you visit, ready to copy and paste.

[Blue_Tires]

8. thanks for that!

[blaze]

11. Thanks! nt

[Smilo]

5. Cheap, old fashioned idea - I use an address book.......

write in the name of company/email/whatever account and put down passwords in that.

Family that need the passwords know where they are and I don't have to try and remember everything.

[gkhouston]

6. +1. The chance that someone will break into your home and steal the address book

are dwarfed by the likelihood of some company's database being breached.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. But if they do, they control your bank accounts. ALL your bank accounts. n/t

[gkhouston]

10. That's an argument for having a security deposit box or a hidden safe.

Most burglars are going to look for quick and fence-able. It's not likely they'll be taking your house apart stick by stick.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. Putting the address book in a safe is an impractical solution.

Identity theft is a very quick and "fence-able" crime.

[renate]

12. thank you very much!

Done! Thank you so much for the warning--I hadn't read anything about this on the news websites.