5 Million Gmail Passwords Leak — Is Yours Safe?

Add this to the ongoing crisis of confidence in our digital security: Roughly five million Gmail account usernames and passwords have reportedly been leaked on a Russian Bitcoin forum. The evidence exists in the form of a database of accounts and passwords posted last night on btcsec.com.

According to The Daily Dot, "The publisher, named tvskit, posted the following screenshot of the database, claiming that over 60 percent of the passwords were valid and working."

Google representatives told the Russian media that the "leak" should really be described as "a collection of phished and hacked credentials collected over years." And, thankfully, "[M]any of the accounts have long been suspended or are matched with very old passwords."

You should still take the following precautions ASAP to ensure the safety of your own account. Change your password and make sure two-step authentication is enabled on Google and any other accounts that offer it. Go now. Do it. (Lifehacker)