Russian hackers steal 1.2 billion passwords and usernames 

Russian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion user names and passwords in a number of internet thefts – which have affected 420,000 websites, according to a report published yesterday (August 5) by the New York Times.

The thievery was uncovered by Hold Security, a Milwaukee firm that specializes in exposing security breaches.

The stolen data is being used to send scams and junk mail on Twitter.