Hackers Post 10K Hotmail Passwords Online

Simple precautions can keep info out of scammers' hands

(NEWSER) - Phishing scams are becoming a lot more sophisticated. Unwary Internet users can easily end up with their bank account and credit card details in the hands of crooks. CNET lists the best ways to avoid becoming a victim:

• Change passwords regularly. Experts recommend that passwords be changed every three months or so, and warn against using the same password for multiple sites.
• Click with caution. Any apparently legitimate email asking you to click a link to another site—especially if it mentions updating security information—could be from a rogue site. It's safer just to type in the URL yourself.

Hotmail users not alone; scheme was 'industry-wide'

(NEWSER) - Hotmail users weren’t the only ones compromised in the huge phishing scheme that came to light yesterday. Another 20,000 email accounts and passwords have surfaced, bearing addresses from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and other services, the BBC reports. Google has found a third list but hasn't detailed its contents. Google and Microsoft have described the scam as “industry-wide.” More»

Your old email address is no longer embarrassing

(NEWSER) - Hotmail was revolutionary when it debuted in 1996—but now it’s “old. Really old,” writes Farhad Manjoo. With this summer’s “fantastic new upgrade,” however, Hotmail is once again a player—even up to par with Manjoo’s beloved Gmail. His favorite feature: “Quick view” buttons let you easily sort your inbox messages (see, for example, only shipping notices, only e-mails with attachments, or only e-mails from contacts). More»

'123456' was most common single password of 10,000 revealed

(NEWSER) - The hackers who stole the logins and passwords for thousands of email accounts in a phishing scam that came to light this week likely lured users with fake “security check” forms. But for many users, they wouldn’t have needed to expend that much energy: the most common single password of the accounts disclosed was “123456.” The runner-up? “123456789.” More»

New set of standards could make email more trustworthy

(NEWSER) - A new anti-phishing effort, backed by the big email service providers as well as banks, PayPal, social networks, and other companies, could dramatically reduce the number of scam emails you get in your inbox. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL are backing the new plan; 15 companies in total have come together to create DMARC.org, which officially launches today and will promote standard technologies to authenticate email. The hoped-for end result? If you get an email that claims to be from paypal.com, you could trust that it is actually from paypal.com. If it works, companies would be able to communicate with customers in new ways, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»