Almost 5 million usernames and passwords purportedly for Google accounts were uploaded to a Russian online forum by hackers late Tuesday.
The International Business Times reports that data for 4.93 million Google accounts of English-, Spanish- and Russian-speaking users was leaked and published on a Russian-language Bitcoin security online forum. The posters said about 60% of the accounts were active.
In a statement sent to TIME, Google said it had “no evidence that our systems have been compromised.”
“The security of our users’ information is a top priority for us,” the statement reads. The company said that whenever it is alerted that accounts may have been compromised, “we take steps to help those users secure their accounts.” Email users are encouraged to utilize two-step verification when logging into accounts, as well as to create strong passwords.
According to Russian news service RIA Novosti, this leak followed another large hack of Russian email accounts. Several million accounts of Russia-based email services were also posted in a Bitcoin security forum.
- Here's Where All The Strongest Hurricanes Have Hit the U.S. in the Past 50 Years
- 2022 Time100 NEXT: TIME’s List Of Emerging Leaders Who Are Shaping the Future
- Industrial Farming Causes Climate Change. The ‘Slow Food’ Movement Wants to Stop It
- Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in October
- Artist Oliver Jeffers Wants to Paint the World Out of a Corner
- A Vibrant North Korean Community in London Finds Its Days Are Numbered
- COVID-19 Vaccines Can Make Periods Longer, Study Says
- Column: What Happened When My Entire Family Came Out
