Have YOU been pwned? Do the 5 second check
An image from the “Have I been pwned?” website
The Australian Federal Police released information earlier this month through their Facebook account advising that 12.5 million Australian emails had been leaked on-line. This is not new information – this has been promoted through media outlets over several days.
But …
After many recent interactions with residents across the Mackay police district it is apparent that many people are unaware how to check if their own email accounts were caught up in this horrible mess. We’ll tell you how to check – it is so very simple. Access the “Have I been pwned?” website – https://haveibeenpwned.com (see above image)
Enter your email address in the field provided then click the “pwned?” link. The process takes less than 5 seconds – one of my own colleagues took part and learned that their own email account had been compromised. Not good.
Nothing good will come from a criminal having control and access to your email account. If you learn that your email account is in their hands :
- Immediately change your email access password, make it as unique as possible
- Don’t use the same password for multiple access points
- If you learn that you have lost money or sensitive information as a result of an email account take-over (many Mackay district residents have in the past!) we encourage you to report the matter through the A.C.O.R.N system (Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network)
Source: Mackay Crime Alert
