2014 Russian hacker password theft

Massive data breach in Russia April 2023 The 2014 Russian hacker password theft was an alleged hacking incident resulting in the possible theft of over 1.2 billion internet credentials, including usernames and passwords, with hundreds of millions of corresponding e-mail addresses.https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28654613 Russia gang hacks 1.2 billion usernames and passwords BBC News August 6, 2014 June 21, 2018 September 28, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180928083913/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28654613 live The data breach was first reported by The New York Times after being allegedly discovered and reported by Milwaukee-based information security company, Hold Security.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/06/russian-hackers-steal-a-billion-passwords-security-firm-seizes-opportunity/ Russian hackers steal more than 1 billion passwords. Security firm seizes opportunity. The Washington Post August 6, 2014 Sullivan Gail August 6, 2014 August 7, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140807152523/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/06/russian-hackers-steal-a-billion-passwords-security-firm-seizes-opportunity/ livehttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/technology/russian-gang-said-to-amass-more-than-a-billion-stolen-internet-credentials.html Russian Gang Amasses Over a Billion Internet Passwords The New York Times August 5, 2014 Perlroth Nicole August 6, 2014 August 5, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140805224353/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/technology/russian-gang-said-to-amass-more-than-a-billion-stolen-internet-credentials.html live 420,000 websites were reported to be affected.https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephsteinberg/2014/08/07/why-i-am-skeptical-about-1-2-billion-passwords-being-stolen/ Why I Am Skeptical About 1.2-Billion Passwords Being Stolen August 7, 2014 Joseph Steinberg August 7, 2014 Forbes August 11, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140811003831/http://www.forbes.com/sites/josephsteinberg/2014/08/07/why-i-am-skeptical-about-1-2-billion-passwords-being-stolen/ live According to The New York Times, some big companies knew that their users' credentials were among the data stolen. Hold Security did not disclose which sites were compromised, but instead offered two separate services, one for website owners and one for consumers to check if they were affected. The service for website owners costed $10 a month. The check for consumers were free.http://www.holdsecurity.com/faq/ CyberVor Breach FAQ August 12, 2014 August 18, 2014 Hold Security August 19, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084459/http://www.holdsecurity.com/faq/ dead Hold Security described the group responsible for the hack as a small group of "fewer than a dozen men in their 20s ... based in a small city in south central Russia, the region flanked by Kazakhstan and Mongolia", and dubbed the group CyberVor (Russian, lit. "cyber thief"). Hold claimed the hack was perpetrated through the use of an SQL injection.https://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/russian-hacking-gang-usernames-passwords-109741.html Russian hacking gang steals more than 1 billion usernames and passwords Politico August 5, 2014 Joseph Marks August 6, 2014 August 8, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140808212905/http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/russian-hacking-gang-usernames-passwords-109741.html livehttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/8/7/russian-hackers-stole-1-2-billion-passwords Russian hackers 'stole 1.2 billion passwords' Al Jazeera 7 August 2014 9 February 2022 9 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220209170153/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/8/7/russian-hackers-stole-1-2-billion-passwords live According to a Forbes article, Hold Security said that not all the 1.2 billion credentials were stolen this way, as there were also ones that CyberVor simply bought from people that used other means, and Hold Security didn't know what the split was.https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2014/08/12/alex-holden-explains-data-breach-profiteering-defense/ The Man Who Found 1.2 Billion Stolen Passwords: Negative Publicity Harming My Business August 12, 2014 Brewster Thomas August 18, 2014 Forbes August 16, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140816022845/http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2014/08/12/alex-holden-explains-data-breach-profiteering-defense/ live Criticism of Hold Security Forbes columnist Kashmir Hill noted "The Internet predictably panicked as the story of yet another massive password breach went viral" and "this is a pretty direct link between a panic and a pay-out for a security firm."https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/08/05/huge-password-breach-shady-antics/ Firm That Exposed Breach Of 'Billion Passwords' Quickly Offered $120 Service To Find Out If You're Affected August 5, 2014 Kashmir Hill August 7, 2014 Forbes August 8, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054631/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/08/05/huge-password-breach-shady-antics/ live Hold Security's website had a service offering people to check if their username and password had been stolen. It required people to send Hold Security encrypted versions of their passwords. Skepticism No named independent sources came forward to confirm the breach, and Forbes columnist, Joseph Steinberg, even expressed outright skepticism about many of the "facts" claimed about the breach, raising questions about the trustworthiness of the reports of the breach altogether. References 2 Category:Computer security exploits Category:Internet security Category:2014 in computing Category:2010s in hacking Category:2014 crimes in Russia Category:2014 data breaches