When LinkedIn was hacked back in 2012, administrators downplayed the issue, saying that they have already fixed the problem. The most common solution that the social site recommended was a password change by its users. However, instead of the 6.5 million passwords that were initially thought to have been taken, it seems that 117 million passwords is the real number, and now it's for sale on the dark web.
Now, for those who are not familiar with the term, the dark web is a deeper layer of the internet which is separate from the normal online activities that most people participate in. It's a place that has gained notoriety for being a den of criminals and assassins for hire. As such, it is the perfect place for selling the millions upon millions of LinkedIn passwords that were taken.
The dark web market where the passwords are being sold is known as "The Real Deal" and the price is 5 Bitcoin or $2,200. The person responsible for the sale goes by the name of Peace.
LinkedIn, meanwhile, has already confirmed that they were investigating this latest development and are also taking steps to protect user security, including resetting their passwords. In an article by Forbes, a spokesperson for the social site commented on the issue as well.
"We are taking immediate steps to invalidate the passwords of the accounts impacted, and we will contact those members to reset their passwords," the spokesperson said. "We have no indication that this is a result of a new security breach."
Several cyber security experts have already noted the possibility that the hacker known as Peace was over-exaggerating the number of passwords he has. Unfortunately, they also admitted that reputation counts for a lot in the dark web, and it is unlikely that Peace would risk his for such a small amount of money.
