Partner Article

4.4 million Xbox and PlayStation gamers hacked

It was revealed this week that over 4.4 million gamers have had their email addresses, usernames and passwords stolen and publicly shared online. The online forums that have been breached include CD Projekt Red, the developer of The Witcher series, Xbox 360 ISO, and PSP ISO. While the breach reportedly took place in September 2015, only now are the details being revealed.

“Data dumps like this are becoming increasingly common, said Richard Henderson, global security styrategist at endpoint security specialist Absolute. “Hackers are persistent creatures who will find any way to get their hands on user log-ins to put up for sale on the dark web. The problem is that passwords are regularly reused, which means hackers could now have access to a victim’s entire online account history. There’s the spear-phishing challenge to consider too. Changing passwords is obvious, but those affected will also need to stay alert and make sure that all emails are verified before sharing confidential or financial information.

Henderson continued: “Increasing awareness around these breaches and what to look out for after an attack like this is key. Right now people account for a vast proportion of data breaches; whether willingly or not. For businesses, data dumps like this can cause problems as it potentially opens up the corporate network for attack should an employee’s credentials fall into the wrong hands. To protect themselves, it’s important to have complete visibility into where data resides – particularly as BYOD continues to transform business communications. Using multiple devices can create security gaps, so it’s essential that businesses have the ability to identify abnormal log-ins that may stem from these types of data breaches, regardless of where the device is or whether it’s connected to the network.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Absolute .