How Safe Is Your Gmail? A Russian Hacker Might Have Your Email Password

Most people think that it is easier to simply use one particular password for their email addresses and other websites that require for you to log in. However, it might actually be a dangerous idea. The security firm Hold Security has just announced that they have obtained 272 million Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail passwords from a Russian hacker on Wednesday.

Reuters reported about Hold Security's story, which explains that the unnamed hacker had a database of millions of email addresses and their corresponding passwords. Out of 272 million email addresses, 24 million were from Gmail while 33 million were from Hotmail.

There were also 40 million Yahoo Mail addresses while a huge bulk (57 million) of the email addresses came from Russian site mail.ru. Hold Security founder Alex Holden stated that the hacker might have been targeting Russian users, but that hasn't prevented him from getting hold of the information of American email addresses.

Does The Hacker Have Your Email Information?

According to Holden, the hacker had procured the email addresses through a simple process: The fraudster managed to find the password of users who used the same information when logging into websites that are less secured. This means people who use the same password for their email addresses and other websites that require a password are most likely to be included in the database.

"Some people use one key for everything in their house," Holden told The Guardian. "Some people have a huge set of keys that they use for each door individually."

How Will You Know If Your Email Address Has Been Compromised?

Unfortunately, Holden stated that there is no way to find out whether your information is in the database. However, the Hold Security founder strongly advised users who use the same password for their email addresses and websites that require both to try using different information for their login.