Have a data.uk.gov account? You should probably change your password.
The site that people can search for data published by the government has discovered, after a data security review, that some usernames and passwords were placed on a publicly accessible resource.
Following quote is taken from the BBC site: (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40443601)
“A GDS spokeswoman told the BBC that the breach had affected only data.gov.uk accounts, and people with separate accounts for other government websites were not affected.
She said only email addresses, usernames and hashed passwords were implicated, rather than personal information such as names and addresses. “
Hashed passwords are not massively secure, but certainly more secure than clear text passwords. It all depends on the algorithm that is used. But the BBC site also reports that users will need to change their passwords next time they login.
The Computer Saint would also advise changing your password, if the same, on any other services. So if you login with the same details to Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, etc then you should change your password.
You should also keep an eye for fraudulent emails, if you suspect an email is fraudulent then you should contact the website in question and not via the email you’ve just got. Go to the actual website via a browser.