Hackers tried recycled passwords on more than a million accounts

James said more than 15 billion stolen credentials are currently in circulation, putting those users’ personal information ‘in jeopardy’. — Technology photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com

More than one million online accounts across 17 well-known companies were the victim of hacking attempts that reused previously stolen passwords swirling around the internet, New York’s top law enforcement officer said on Jan 5.

The ruse, known as a “credential stuffing attack”, involves a cyber criminal trying to repeatedly access someone’s account by deploying user names and passwords that were previously made public. User names and passwords are sometimes posted or sold on the dark web or hacking forums after being stolen in cyberattacks.