Record-breaking data breach by Russian gang highlights widespread security flaws

By Steve Johnson

In what appears to be the biggest data breach ever, a Russian gang reportedly has stolen 1.2 billion user names and passwords and more than 500 million email addresses from 420,000 websites.

The scale of the attack and the fact that it comes after multiple reports of previous cyber assaults raises significant questions about the security practices of thousands of companies around the globe and puts at risk the financial and personal information of a significant fraction of the planet’s population. (Read more)