More passwords compromised as Nvidia, Android Forums hacked

More passwords compromised as Nvidia, Android Forums and others hacked
We're running out of potential password options here

The Great Password Hack of 2012 continues as AndroidForums, Nvidia, Billabong and Formspring all report data breaches.

Nvidia has confirmed that its developer forums have been attacked "by unauthorised third parties who may have gained access to hashed passwords".

AndroidForums.com which has over 1 million user accounts on its books has also reported a hack that accessed usernames, email addresses, registration IP addresses and hashed passwords.

35,000 customers of Aussie clothing brand Billabong will also want to update their passwords across the web, as password data from its site has been posted online in plain text in a similar breach to that suffered by Yahoo Voices earlier this week.

And finally Formspring – remember Formspring? Where anonymous users could ask you inappropriately personal questions? - which reported earlier this week that some user passwords have been accessed by a third party and has disabled all passwords as a result.

Poor form

These are just the latest in a rash of hacks that have emerged over the past year. The latest spate seem more likely to be perpetrated by cyber crims looking for new ways to make a fast buck as opposed to the 'hacktivism' carried out by the likes of Anonymous and LulzSec.

"Passwords are of value when associated with an email account," explained Chris Peterson, CTO of LogRhythm.

"Because users often use the same password across different accounts, cyber criminals might be able to access other sites, company networks, and banking accounts if they can successfully map the compromised email address to the individual that owns it."

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.