Hotmail news stories on Newser

Look Out, Gmail: Revamped Hotmail Is Sharp

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:57:00 CDT

Hotmail was revolutionary when it debuted in 1996—but now it’s “old. Really old,” writes Farhad Manjoo. With this summer’s “fantastic new upgrade,” however, Hotmail is once again a player—even up to par with Manjoo’s beloved Gmail. His favorite feature: “Quick view” buttons let you easily sort your inbox...

Email Scam Reveals How Crummy Passwords Are

Nick McMaster — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:23:21 CDT

The hackers who stole the logins and passwords for thousands of email accounts in a phishing scam that came to light this week likely lured users with fake “security check” forms. But for many users, they wouldn’t have needed to expend that much energy: the most common single password of...

How to Avoid Becoming a Phishing Victim

Rob Quinn — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:19:35 CDT

Phishing scams are becoming a lot more sophisticated. Unwary Internet users can easily end up with their bank account and credit card details in the hands of crooks. CNET lists the best ways to avoid becoming a victim: Change passwords regularly. Experts recommend that passwords be changed every three months...

Hotmail Phishing Scam Also Took In Gmail Users

Kevin Spak — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:35:58 CDT

Hotmail users weren’t the only ones compromised in the huge phishing scheme that came to light yesterday. Another 20,000 email accounts and passwords have surfaced, bearing addresses from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and other services, the BBC reports. Google has found a third list but hasn't detailed its contents. Google...

Hackers Post 10K Hotmail Passwords Online

Nick McMaster — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:12:36 CDT

Names and passwords for at least 10,000 compromised Hotmail email accounts were made public today, and Microsoft says it's investigating. A list of account names and passwords that was posted to a software development forum may only be a small part of the cache of stolen info—it consisted...

China Blocks Twitter Ahead of Tiananmen Anniversary

Matt Cantor — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:29:00 CDT

As Thursday's 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre approaches, China has blocked access to Twitter, Flickr, and Hotmail, among other sites, TechCrunch reports. “The lead-up to any date like this is usually a time when the Firewall is tightened,” notes Mike Butcher, who was told by a contact in...

Al-Qaeda Used Hotmail, Simple Codes to Plan 9/11

Fri, 01 May 2009 18:18:57 CDT

In the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, alleged al-Qaeda operations mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed intended to use his free Hotmail account to direct a US-based operative to carry out an attack, according to a guilty plea agreement filed by Al Saleh Kahlah al-Marri in federal court. The document...