Nowadays everyone is aware of the importance of a strong password. By having a strong password, you can prevent hackers from having easy access to your accounts. But there is another way cyber criminals can find out your log-in details: by hacking the database of the online service. In recent years, there have been many publications about large companies having been hacked, and the details of thousands of accounts having been stolen in the process. But just as not every shoplifting is on the nine o’clock news, not every digital burglary is reported on either.
And for those who think it will not get that bad: In total, 1.4 billion accounts have had their details published. Among those accounts are several large websites, such as LinkedIn (165 million accounts), Adobe (152 million accounts) and Dropbox (69 million accounts).