Data Leak Discovered: 711M Email Addresses Affected

Cybersecurity experts have once again discovered the latest data leak, and likely the largest, affecting over 711 million email addresses all over the world. According to BBC News, the addresses have been collected through various spamming methods. Once an email address has been compromised, it is said to be used in spreading banking malware.

Check If Your Email Is On The List

To find out if an email address is on the list of compromised addresses, users can go to the Have I Been Pwned service. The site, which is operated by Troy Hunt, a malware researcher, then tells you if your account is part of the list of known email addresses.

If you are one of the millions affected, the next logical step is to beef up your account’s security: change your password and enable two-factor-authentication when you log in. It also helps if you activate the devices which you authorize when accessing your data. That way, you can recognize unauthorized devices and activity.

Details Of Data Breach: Biggest So Far

According to BBC News, the leak was first flagged by a Paris-based security expert who went by the name Benkow. He discovered a “giant spambot” that churned out spam messages to known addresses. The spam messages attempt to trick the receiver into revealing sensitive information.

On the other hand, if an email account has been compromised, the spambot will take over and use it to spread more spam and malware to people in its contact list. So, users are advised to check their accounts as soon as possible and secure them.

According to a News.com.au article, the spambot associated with this breach is known for spreading a trojan virus that aims to steal people’s online banking details. The origin of the data leak has been traced to a server in the Netherlands which has yet to be shut down.