Hacker collects 272m email addresses and passwords, some from Gmail

Security firm announces it has persuaded fraudster to give up database of email addresses along with passwords users use to log in to websites

The internet on Wednesday gave you another reminder that everyone has been hacked.

Hold Security, a Wisconsin-based security firm famous for obtaining troves of stolen data from the hacking underworld, announced that it had persuaded a fraudster to give them a database of 272m unique email addresses along with the passwords consumers use to log in to websites. The escapade was detailed in a Reuters article.