Irish Gmail users have been advised to take urgent action after a massive global data breach exposed millions of email addresses and passwords.
Irish Gmail users are being urged to take immediate action(Image: (Getty Images) )
Irish Gmail users are being urged to take immediate action after a massive global data breach exposed millions of email addresses and passwords – with Gmail accounts among those most worst affected.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that the leak, which reportedly saw data from 183 million Gmail users compromised, could leave users vulnerable to hacking and identity theft if they don’t update their security settings.
The stolen information – amounting to around 3.5 terabytes of data – included email addresses, passwords and the websites where those credentials were used. The breach was the result of so-called ‘infostealer activity’ and was first confirmed in April before being added to the Have I Been Pwned database, which tracks major data breaches worldwide.
According to the database entry, the exposed data primarily consisted of “stealer logs and credential stuffing lists” – large files that cybercriminals use to break into accounts using reused or weak passwords, Mirror UK reports.
Cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, who manages the Have I Been Pwned platform, told the Daily Mail that the stolen information affected “all the mail providers”, but added that Gmail “features heavily”.
He said: “All the major providers have email addresses in there. They’re from everywhere you could imagine, but Gmail always features heavily”.
Google has reassured users that they can protect themselves with tools already built into their accounts. A spokesperson told Forbes that the company is continuously working to detect and reset compromised passwords linked to large leaks such as this.
They told the publication: “This report covers broad infostealer activity that targets many types of web activities. When it comes to email, users can help protect themselves by turning on 2-step verification and adopting passkeys as a simpler and stronger alternative to passwords.”
Gmail users in Ireland who suspect suspicious activity are advised to check their Account Activity page, which shows recent logins and can flag if someone has accessed their email from an unknown location. Those who are locked out of their accounts should go directly to Google’s Account Recovery page for step-by-step assistance.
The spokesperson added that Google automatically triggers password resets when it detects that user credentials have appeared in a major data dump.
Anyone worried that their email or password may have been caught up in the breach can:
Visit haveibeenpwned.com to see if their Gmail address appears in the leak.Use Google’’ Password Checkup feature in Chrome. Open the browser menu, go to Passwords and Autofill, and select Google Password Manager, then Checkup. This tool scans stored passwords and alerts users to weak or compromised credentials.
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