LinkedIn confirms 2012 hack exposed 117 million passwords

NEW YORK – LinkedIn says a 2012 breach resulted in more than 100 million of its users’ passwords being compromised – vastly more than previously thought.

The business social network confirmed Wednesday a purported hacker’s claim that 117 million passwords were stolen in the breach. It previously said 6.5 million user passwords were compromised.

According to a Forbes report, the hacker was trying to sell the passwords on the dark web for 5 bitcoin, or about $2,200.

LinkedIn says it’s working to determine just how many of the passwords in question are still being used three years after the breach and is in the process of resetting them.

The company based in Mountain View, California, emphasized that there’s no indication of a new data breach.

LinkedIn has 400 million members around the world.