Why you need to change your email password
There's been a huge data leak of the email addresses and passwords of 771 million people, prompting an urgent call for people to check if they're one of them.
A "spambot" called Onliner designed to spread malware is said to be behind the personal data hack, The Sun reports.
It’s also said to steal banking details, dumping the information of millions on a server thought to be located in the Netherlands and sends out huge amounts of spam.
Website HaveIBeenPwned provides a way for people to see if they're one of the unfortunate users who have been hacked.
Owner of the website, Troy Hunt, said it's "the largest set of data I've ever loaded into [HaveIBeenPwned]".
“Just for a sense of scale, that’s almost one address for every single man, woman and child in all of Europe,” he said.
He said even his email address is in the list.
If your email is on the list it could bed turned into a spam factory or used to distribute dangerous malware.
The server has been handed to Dutch police to investigate.
To find out if your email is on the list, visit HaveIBeenPwned.
