If you're reading this article, it's time to change all your passwords.
This is because there's a good chance your login information – or at least a previous version of it – is circulating on secret networks (on the dark web) where hackers trade stolen passwords.
These secret networks are constantly growing, according to Alex Heid, chief researcher and development officer at SecurityScorecard, a cybersecurity company.
"Within the underground hacking community, credentials are bought, sold, and freely traded like Pokémon cards," Heid told Business Insider. "There are dozens of different hacking forums that contain terabytes of information going back at least 10 years."
These forums primarily operate on the dark web, a network of encrypted websites that don't show up in algorithms . The login credentials and passwords that end up on these dark web forums typically come from massive data, which have occurred frequently throughout the past year.
Hackers are using increasingly sophisticated database software to compile “combination lists” of millions of login credentials, according to Heid.
Even if hackers only have one set of credentials – for example, DoorDash users – they can easily break into a user’s accounts on other websites. Hackers use “checkers,” or programs that can take a user and quickly determine if it’s being used on other websites. From there, hackers typically try to log in to those other websites using the same password, betting that targets use the same password across all platforms. In many cases, they’re successful.
With hacking becoming increasingly profitable and hackers' software becoming more sophisticated, there's no sign of this trend slowing down anytime soon. In the meantime, Heid advises users to change their passwords and ensure that passwords are different across the services they use.
