[quote]Thousands of Hotmail passwords have been hacked and posted online, BBC News has learnt.
Microsoft, which owns the popular web-based e-mail system, said that it was aware of the claims and that it was "investigating the situation".
BBC News has seen a list of more than 10,000 accounts, which technology blog Neowin.net said had been posted online.
The blog suggested the accounts had been hacked or had been collected as part of a phishing scheme.
Phishing involves using fake websites to lure people into revealing personal details such as bank accounts or login names and passwords.
"At the moment we don't know how the hackers got the passwords or how many they got," Graham Cluley, consultant at security firm Sophos, told BBC News.
"It could just be a subset that they posted online."
'Rapid response'
Neowin claims the details were posted on 1 October to pastebin.com, a website commonly used by developers to share code.
Although the details have since been removed, BBC News and Neowin has seen a list of 10,028 names beginning with the letters A and B.
BBC News has confirmed that the accounts are genuine.
"Most appear to be based in Europe," Tom Warren, a neowin blogger, wrote on the site.
The list included details of Microsoft's Windows Live Hotmail accounts with email addresses ending hotmail.com, msn.com and live.com.
Microsoft said it had "been made aware of the claims that Windows Live IDs and passwords have been made available on the web".
"We're actively investigating the situation and will take appropriate steps as rapidly as possible," a spokesperson said.
Mr Cluley advised Hotmail users to change their password as soon as possible.
"I'd also recommend that people change the password on any other site where they use it," he said.
Around 40% of people use the same password for every website they use, he added.
Hotmail is currently the largest web-based email service. [/quote]
[url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8291268.stm"]Source[/url]
May explain why my account wouldn't let me log in. Also, GJ Microsoft.
brb changing password
Where can i find this list i want to destroy a arch nemesis of mine on the internet
Who uses hotmail?
[QUOTE=peabrain101;17677053]Who uses hotmail?[/QUOTE]
I use it for Windows Live Messenger.
[QUOTE=peabrain101;17677053]Who uses hotmail?[/QUOTE]
Everyone on Xbox Live
[QUOTE=peabrain101;17677053]Who uses hotmail?[/QUOTE]
Young Teenagers.
I use GMail because Google are simply the best.
[QUOTE=Wii60;17677012]Where can i find this list i want to destroy a arch nemesis of mine on the internet[/QUOTE]
It's down. I guess you could find it somewhere though.
too bad i'm not stupid and I don't get phished. URL's are your friend.
Also, phished =/= hacked..
[QUOTE=efeX;17677113]too bad i'm not stupid and I don't get phished. URL's are your friend.
Also, phished =/= hacked..[/QUOTE]
terrible
your trolling is amusing.
[QUOTE=efeX;17677149]your trolling is amusing.[/QUOTE]
He's right.
where where where are they posted online
[editline]lol[/editline]
Phew, it's just idiot-phishing.
[QUOTE=Latias;17677204]where where where are they posted online[/QUOTE]
Hey! I've seen your avatar before!
[QUOTE=radioactive;17677227]Hey! I've seen your avatar before![/QUOTE]
took it off a gif thread in FT and converted into 80x80 APNG so yeah I don't doubt it
How did over 10000 people all with hotmail/msn/live accounts manage to get phished by the same thing?!
[QUOTE=Ori Child;17677304]How did over 10000 people all with hotmail/msn/live accounts manage to get phished by the same thing?![/QUOTE]
People who use hotmail are generally not computer-savvy
Thats just weird
[QUOTE=Latias;17677350]People who use hotmail are generally not computer-savvy[/QUOTE]
that's bullshit
[QUOTE=Gordon Frohm;17677454]that's bullshit[/QUOTE]
If it was bullshit, 10,000 people wouldn't be fished out of their accounts, hm?
Good thing that I haven't touched hotmail in a year or so. This probably explains why some funky shit went down on my MSN messenger.
Hacking makes it sound like they forced their way into the account, rather than the account owner being an idiot and inputting their password into a shady website
[QUOTE=Latias;17677350]People are generally not computer-savvy[/QUOTE]
Fixed.
my password is boat01 kgooo
[QUOTE=Latias;17677520]If it was bullshit, 10,000 people wouldn't be fished out of their accounts, hm?[/QUOTE]
I'm not even going to justify that with a response.
Also what Hezzy said. Phished. Not hacked.
[QUOTE=venn177;17677061]I use it for Windows Live Messenger.[/QUOTE]
Any email works with Windows Live Messenger, just gotta bind it to a Live account.
Lockerz invites, go go go.
i saw on this hacking website earlier where someone posted a rapidshare link with a .txt inside.
inside the txt document is over 1,000,000 differenty email addresses and passwords but not just hotmail
Good thing I don't enter my email address and password on places I shouldn't :smug:
[QUOTE=venn177;17677061]I use it for Windows Live Messenger.[/QUOTE]
I use Gmail for my Windows Live, obviously Hotmail is inferior.
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