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According to a report by CNET UK, thousands of login credentials for Hotmail, Yahoo, and Google accounts have been stolen and posted online.  Since Google accounts also allow access to Blogger, YouTube, Google Docs and Google Talk accounts, the potential data breach is huge as are the possible repercussions.  Google is blaming a large scale phishing attack for the breach.

“We recently became aware of an industry-wide phishing scheme through which hackers gained user credentials for Web-based mail accounts including Gmail accounts,” a Google spokesperson told CNET UK. “As soon as we learned of the attack, we forced password resets on the affected accounts. We will continue to force password resets on additional accounts when we become aware of them.”

Microsoft is also aware of the breach and says it is doing everything it can to mitigate any damage.  It is blocking accounts it knows to have been compromised and then helping the legit owners reclaim them.  It’s not yet known exactly how many accounts have been compromised, exactly how it happened or who is responsible.  It’s believed the accounts are probably being collected to send spam, malware, or further phishing accounts.

If you have a Yahoo, Hotmail and/or Google account, change your passwords ASAP.  If you find yourself locked out of your account, contact the provider for assistance and be prepared to prove you are the actual account holder.  Stay tuned to Gadgetell for more on this developing story.

Read: [CNET UK]