Millions of passwords, information hacked, Pakistanis directed to change passwords immediately

Islamabad: It has been revealed that passwords and sensitive information of more than 180 million users have been stolen.

Users of major companies, including Google, Facebook, and Apple, were affected in the global data leak, while information from government portals, including Instagram and Snapchat, was also stolen.

User account information has been stolen with the Infostellar malware, after which the National Computer Emergency Response Team issued an advisory.

Pakistani users have been instructed to immediately change the passwords of their accounts.

According to the advisory, there is a risk of identity theft, account hacking, and ransomware attacks from the data leak. Government institutions and financial accounts are also likely to be affected, while users should activate the two-factor authentication process for their accounts.

Pakistani users have been advised to use a password manager and never store passwords in email or unsecured files.

Users should keep antivirus and security software updated and monitor unusual login activities.