Have you changed your LinkedIn password this week? If not, you may want to.
As of this writing, over 60% of the unique hashed passwords obtained by hackers from a LinkedIn password database and subsequently posted online have now been cracked.
As a result, the chosen social network of many professionals is being hammered for using a “moderate security method” that obviously failed to keep many users shielded from this type of security glitch.
“We want to provide you with an update on this morning’s reports of stolen passwords,” Vicente Silveira, LinkedIn director, posted on the LinkedIn blog yesterday. “We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts. We are continuing to investigate this situation and here is what we are pursuing as far as next steps for the compromised accounts:
- Members that have accounts associated with the compromised passwords will notice that their LinkedIn account password is no longer valid.
- These members will also receive an email from LinkedIn with instructions on how to reset their passwords. There will not be any links in this email. Once you follow this step and request password assistance, then you will receive an email from LinkedIn with a password reset link.
- These affected members will receive a second email from our Customer Support team providing a bit more context on this situation and why they are being asked to change their passwords.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our members,” he adds. “We take the security of our members very seriously. If you haven’t read it already it is worth checking out my earlier blog post today about updating your password and other account security best practices.”
Do you still trust LinkedIn or has this latest incident degraded your faith in and desire to use the platform? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.