Windows Live HotmailGot a Hotmail or Windows Live email addy? You need to change your password, ASAP: a document of more than 10,000 addresses and matching passwords has been leaked online, meaning any user on that list has been left wide open to identity fraud.

BBC News has said it has seen a list of 10,028 Hotmail/MSN/Live emails with log-in details. Most are from Europe, and while they only begin with the letters A and B, it could merely be a small part of a longer list affecting many more people.

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Microsoft has confirmed the Hotmail hack, with a spokesperson saying: “We are aware that some Windows Live Hotmail customers’ credentials were acquired illegally and exposed on a website…we immediately requested that the credentials be removed and launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers.”

Microsoft says there was no breach of data on its part, suggesting a phishing attack tricking users with a fake email was the culprit. The chances that you’ve been affected by the Hotmail attack are admittedly slim: there are more than 400m Hotmail accounts registered, but we’d still recommend you change your password right now to be on the safe side.

Out TBC | £TBC | Hotmail (Via BBC News)

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  • http://global-budget-webhosting.co.uk Stuart

    These details were not hacked they were given away by the owners! Many high profile sites request you MSN login details(including FaceBook) in order to invite your friends.

    There are some people that are so desperate to increase their online populartity that they will type their msn login in anywhere it is requested. There are the same people that fall victim to drive by downloads and malware atacks.

    Don’t blame the technolopgy blame the idiots using it. This is not diferent that giving you credit card pin number to a stranger in the street..

    • http://www.electricpig.co.uk Ben Sillis

      You and I are both very conscious of how to watch out for phishing, but there are millions of people out there who aren’t so net savvy, and don’t realise what’s secure and what’s not, so it’s a very effective way to gain control. It’s easy to mock people who fall for these traps, but I don’t wish accounts being stolen on anyone.

    • Stephen. E

      My email was hacked into recently, sending an obscure message to everyone in my address book. And no I didn’t enter my details into something I wasn’t supposed to :)

  • FJC

    According to an article posted this morning on the BBC website :
    “The scale of a phishing attack originally thought to be directed at Hotmail may be larger than previously thought.
    BBC News has seen a list of more than 20,000 more names and passwords that have been posted online.
    The list contains e-mail addresses and passwords from Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Gmail and other service providers.”

  • http://technorotic.com Technorotic

    The Hotmail security breach is an embarrassing blow to U.S. technology giant Microsoft

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