The news of more than 630 million passwords being leaked has raised concerns among internet users around the world. The US investigative agency, FBI, has recovered millions of stolen passwords from multiple devices of a major cyber criminal. These passwords were collected from different sources, including dark web marketplaces, Telegram groups, and dangerous malware attacks. Finding such a large number of passwords in the possession of a single hacker is being considered a very serious matter from the cyber security point of view.
For the past few years, the FBI has been sharing such stolen passwords with cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, who runs the popular website Have I Been Pondered. The data that has come out this time is being said to be the biggest collection till date. These passwords have been added to the website so that common users can check whether their passwords are also part of this leak or not.
According to a Forbes report, these 630 million passwords are linked to a previous data breach. Surprisingly, more than 7 percent of these passwords had never been publicly revealed before. The rest of the passwords were already known, but now their number has increased significantly. This clearly shows that cyber criminals share stolen data among themselves and misuse the same information again and again.
If you want to know whether your password is secure or not, there is an easy way to check it. You can check your password on a service called ‘Pond Password’. Your password is not saved here directly; Instead, it is converted into a unique digital code for verification, thereby maintaining your privacy. If upon checking it is found that your password has been leaked, it is very important to change it immediately. By delaying this, hackers can access your account using that password. Just changing the password is not enough. Where possible, turn on two-factor authentication and use new security options like passkeys. This increases the security of the account significantly.
In today’s digital era, using a password manager is also considered a very wise step. Most people either use weak passwords or reuse the same password on multiple sites, making them easy targets for hackers. A password manager not only creates strong passwords but also stores them securely. This means you just need to remember one master password, and the rest is done automatically.
If you use Google services frequently, Google Password Manager may be a good option. It checks your saved passwords and alerts you if any password is weak or compromised. For iPhone users, Apple’s built-in Password app checks if your passwords are at risk without sharing any information. No matter which password manager you choose, using one has become almost essential to stay secure in the digital world.