LinkedIn Apologises For Password Breach

In the wake of a massive security breach on the business networking site LinkedIn, which resulted in the leaking of roughly 6.5 million user passwords and their subsequently published on an unauthorised website, the company has issued a blog post to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the breach.

The company has also enlisted the help of the FBI for an investigation into the breach.

Investigation is ongoing

“We want to be as transparent as possible while at the same time preserving the security of our members without jeopardising the ongoing investigation,” wrote LinkedIn director Vicente Silveira. We take this criminal activity very seriously so we are working closely with the FBI as they aggressively pursue the perpetrators of this crime.”

Silveira noted the compromised passwords were not published with corresponding email logins, and that the majority of passwords were “hashed”, meaning they were still encoded, however he admitted that a subset of the passwords were decoded.

Silveira also stressed that the only information published was the list passwords. “We are not aware of any member information being published at any time in connection with the list of stolen passwords,” he wrote.

Also addressed was the speed of LinkedIn’s repose to the breach, reports of which first surfaced last Wednesday. Silveira said the company launched an investigation immediately after receiving confirmation of the breach, and by the end of Thursday, all passwords on the published list that were believed to have created risk for LinkedIn members had been disabled.

“This is true regardless of whether or not the passwords were decoded. After we disabled the passwords, we contacted members with instructions on how to reset their passwords,” he wrote. “Once again, we truly apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you, our members.”

Further concerns for social media users

Stolen passwords aren’t the only thing social media users have to worry about, a recent report from IT research firm Gartner indicated. The study found that corporate monitoring of employee behavior on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn will rise to 60 percent by 2015.

The report also raises the question of who is actually looking at this information and the parties who have access to employee-monitoring tools, as well as the ethical and legal issues involved.

Users should also be aware of their activities on social media sites and how it impacts their prospects of being hired. More than a third of companies (37 percent) polled use social networking sites to research job candidates, according to an April survey from CareerBuilder.

A third (34 percent) of hiring managers who currently research candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate, according to the report. That content ranges from evidence of inappropriate behaviour to information that contradicted their listed qualifications.

Do you know Google’s secrets? To find out, take our quiz.

Nathan Eddy

Nathan Eddy is a contributor to eWeek and TechWeekEurope, covering cloud and BYOD

Recent Posts

The Sustainability of AI

While AI promises unparalleled efficiency, productivity, and innovation, questions regarding its environmental impact loom large.…

2 hours ago

Trump’s Truth Social Makes Successful Market Debut

Shares in Donald Trump’s social media company rose about 16 percent after first day of…

2 hours ago

Dutch PM Raises Cyber Espionage Case With China’s Xi

Beijing visit sees Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte discuss cyber espionage incident with Chinese President…

3 hours ago

Vodafone Germany Confirms 2,000 Job Losses, Amid European Restructuring

More downsizing at Vodafone after German operation announces 2,000 jobs will be axed, as automation…

19 hours ago

AI Poses ‘Jobs Apocalypse’, Warns Report

IPPR report warns AI could remove almost 8 million jobs in the United Kingdom, with…

20 hours ago

Europe’s Longest Hyperloop Test Track Opens

European Hyperloop Center in the Netherlands seeks to advance futuristic transport technology, despite US setbacks

21 hours ago