password

When I swung by Linkedin yesterday afternoon to be greated by my Linkedin Today headlines (CNET, Mashable, CBS News) showing that 6.5m Linkedin passwords were now in the public domain. Having spent a good deal of time at Chinwag's Careers Day explaining why building connections, maintaining a profile and asking for recommendations, it provides a salutory reminder that it's not just credit card and bank details that are vulnerable.

How would you fare if you're Linkedin connections disappeared? (If you're panicing enough not to read the rest of the post - here's Linkedin's advice on changing passwords) I bet there's a few recruiters out there who will blanch at the thought. The file of stolen passwords was posted on a popular hacking forum with a request for help in cracking them, which according to data security firm, Imperva, indicates this might just be the tip of the iceberg.