Google Says It’s Not To Blame For The 5 Million Gmail Passwords Leaked

Google is not apologizing for the latest set of password leaks for Gmail accounts.

As reported in the Inquisitr, login credentials for about 5 million Gmail accounts were leaked earlier this week. The information was posted on a Russian forum for users of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Google said it was not to blame for the security breach. On its online security blog, staffers wrote:

“Often, these credentials are obtained through a combination of other sources. For instance, if you reuse the same username and password across websites, and one of those websites gets hacked, your credentials could be used to log into the others. Or attackers can use malware or phishing schemes to capture login credentials.”

According to Google, only about 2 percent of the passwords leaked were still active. That might sound like a small security breach, but as Forbes points out, that amounts to about 100,000 Gmail users. Google said they had already alerted the users impacted by the leaks.

Still curious if your Gmail password has been leaked? Several websites allow you to check your account’s status — some more reputable than others.

For example, Forbes writes that IsLeaked.com was founded just as the Gmail passwords were leaked. Blogger James Watt has a conspiracy theory that the site was created to take advantage of hapless Gmail users.

Watt explains:

“[IsLeaked] could possibly be… harvesting email addresses (for spam or other hacking activities). It’s even possible that IsLeaked is run by the very people who leaked the passwords in the first place. Why could this be? Because IsLeakedwas registered on the [September] 8th, two days before the story broke.”

However, in an email to Forbes, IsLeaked’s anonymous creator said, “we just found [a text] file with logins and passwords and made a service…There is no conspiracy theory.”

Google is trying to reassure Gmail users that they’re on the prowl for potential hackers. They also offer some final tips for keeping your password safe from leaks:

“Make sure you’re using a strong password unique to Google. Update your recovery options so we can reach you by phone or email if you get locked out of your account. And consider 2-step verification, which adds an extra layer of security to your account.”

Gmail users can go through an ‘Account Checkup’ to enforce their password security.

[Photo source: Pinterest]