MORE than 10,000 Hotmail passwords have been hacked and posted online, it was reported yesterday.Microsoft, which owns the email service, said it had not yet been able to confirm the report, but it was “actively investigating the situation.

MORE than 10,000 Hotmail passwords have been hacked and posted online, it was reported yesterday.

Microsoft, which owns the email service, said it had not yet been able to confirm the report, but it was “actively investigating the situation.”

Technology blog neowin.net reported that an anonymous user had posted the details of Windows Live Hotmail accounts on pastebin.com, a site used by developers to share code, on October 1.

Neowin said that the accounts, mostly based in Europe started from A and runs through B, suggesting there may be further lists.

The affected accounts include @hotmail.com, @msn.com and @live.com.

Users are being advised to change their passwords and security information immediately.