A hacker breached big time executives' accounts! The cybercriminal is currently selling hundreds of C-level executives' passwords for their email accounts.
ZDNet reported that the hacker is offering the sensitive data on a closed-access underground forum for Russian-speaking cyber attackers called 'Exploit.in."
The attacker is selling the password and email combinations for Microsoft and Office 365 accounts. He offers them for prices ranging from $100 up to $1,500, depending on how big the company is and what is the user's job role.
The hacker also claimed that these accounts belong to high-level executives from across the world.
These are the following job roles;
- CMO - chief marketing officer
- CFO - chief financial officer or chief financial controller
- CEO - chief executive officer
- CTOs - chief technology officer
- COO - chief operating officer
- President
- Executive Assistant
- Finance Manager
- Accountant
- Finance Director
- Vice president
- Accounts Payables
- Financial Controller
- Director
The accounts are confirmed from big time executives
A cyber-security community's source confirmed the validity of the data. The source contacted the hacker to have samples and confirmed that valid credentials for two accounts are from the CFO of an EU-based retail store chain and the CEO of a U.S. medium-sized software firm.
The anonymous source said that it is in the process of informing the two companies. It will also notify another two companies, which the cyber attacker published account passwords as public proof that the have valid data to sell.
How to protect your Microsoft account
Since the breached accounts include Microsoft accounts, here's how you can protect them. According to Support Microsoft's report, it is important to know the DOs and DONTs when creating a password. Why? Because this information serves as the key to opening your account.
A strong password is badly needed to protect your account. This is because many services currently are using your email address as verification.
If a hacker breached or acquired your Microsoft account's password, they can also hack your banking and online shopping accounts.
To help you with that, here are the DOs and DONTs you should remember;
DONTs
- Avoid using the same password for differen accounts.
- Never use a single word as your password.
- Avoid using common words or phrases as your password.
DOs
- Make new or different passwords for all your accounts.
- Always make your password hard to guess, even for those people that are close to you.
- Avoid using a phrase or sentence converted into a string of initials, symbols, and numbers.
For more news updates about security breaches, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
This article is owned by TechTimes.
Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
