Hacker advertises account information of more than 100m LinkedIn users 'for sale'

A hacker is advertising for sale what they say is the LinkedIn account information - including email addresses and passwords - of more than 100 million users.

According to the business-focused social media site, the information was gained in a 2012 hack. At the time LinkedIn reset the passwords of the 6.5 million accounts they believed had been compromised, however, the number of users believed to have been affected is much greater than was originally thought.

The details are for sale on dark web marketplace The Real Deal, by a hacker calling themselves Peace. They are advertised at 5 Bitcoin, a digital currency worth around £1,500.

Yesterday LinkedIn became aware that passwords and email addresses for more than 100 million users, thought to have been gained in the same theft, had been released.

A total of 117 million passwords are reported to have been gained. At the time of the hack, LinkedIn had 165 million accounts.

LinkedIn is encouraging all users to ensure that they have strong passwords, and to visit their online safety centre where they can learn more about protecting their accounts. The site is also planning a wide-scale password reset.