Blame MySpace, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and VK.com

Jun 8, 2016 21:20 GMT  ·  By
Facebook, Netflix start warning customers to change account passwords
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   Facebook, Netflix start warning customers to change account passwords

Facebook and Netflix have started resetting passwords for user accounts they believe to be compromised by the recent wave of mega data breaches that included sites such as VK.com, Tumblr, MySpace, and LinkedIn.

Two weeks ago, after the LinkedIn data breach, Microsoft engineers admitted that they go after public data dumps just as hard as hackers do, but not for the reasons you might think.

Just like many other big tech companies, Microsoft was hunting for the breached data so it could analyze its content, compare it to the usernames and passwords in its database, and alert users of possible dangers.

Several companies do the same, mainly to prevent account takeover in case the user reused a password across multiple accounts.

After Facebook and Netflix, expect more services to do the same

In the wake of the recent wave of mega data breaches that have leaked over 750 million user records out in the open, Facebook and Netflix have started this very same process.

According to Fortune, Facebook has already begun notifying users it deems in danger of having their accounts taken over. The network's users will be prompted by a notification the next time they log in, asking them to reset their password.

In an email sent to some of its users and spotted by Brian Krebs, Netflix politely asks customers to reset their passwords as well.

  We believe your Netflix account credentials may have been included in a recent release of email addresses and passwords from an older breach at another company. Just to be safe, we’ve reset your password as a precautionary measure.  

The company was honest about the reason, and users should listen to its advice. If they don't, they're going to end up just like Mark Zuckerberg, who this past weekend had his Twitter and Pinterest accounts hacked after a team of Saudi hackers spotted his password in the recent LinkedIn data breach.
Netflix password reset email
Netflix password reset email

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