Around 3pm today (GMT) it was announced that passwords for some 6 million users of LinkedIn had been leaked.
Whilst this is only around 4% of the 150 million user base, it’s still a very significant number of people.
According to the BBC, hackers posted a file containing encrypted passwords onto a Russian web forum.
They have invited the hacking community to help with decryption.
We advise all users to change their LinkedIn passwords immediately and have posted some simple instructions below:
Please excuse any spelling mistakes as we rushed the instructions to help people make the necessary changes!
Step 1:
When you login to LinkedIn move your mouse over to your name near the top right hand corner of the screen, as in the diagram below:
A drop down menu should appear with the following options:
- Settings
- Upgrade Account
- Sign Out
Select the “Settings” option to move to step 2
Step 2:
Select the “Account” option
Step 3 (nearly there):
The options to the right of the Account button you’ve just pressed will have changed.
Select the option “Change password”
Step 4:
A pop-up box should appear in the centre of the screen.
Enter your old password once before entering and then confirming your new password.
Click the “Change password” button in blue to complete the change.
Your password should now be changed.
