Microsoft warns 44 million users that their passwords have been leaked

Microsoft has discovered that 44 million of its users have login credentials lying around on the internet. Affected users have received an email asking them to reset their password.

According to the company, recent research has been conducted into the leakage of login data, which looked at how many Microsoft accounts can be found online. This concerns usernames and passwords that, for example, were captured during a hack and put online by the hackers. Incidentally, Microsoft also states that it has access to databases made available by authorities. Between January and March of this year, Microsoft scanned 3 billion credentials and matched them with its own databases.

The research showed that data can be found on 44 million people, which means that malicious parties may be able to log in to their Microsoft account. These people are required to set a new password and have been informed by e-mail.

Furthermore, Microsoft advises its users to set up 2-factor authentication for extra security. For business users, the company has additional tools to determine if there are risk users, where the administrator can force a password reset.