Imgur, one of the world's most visited websites, has confirmed a hack dating back to 2014. The company told that hackers stole 1.7 million email addresses and passwords, scrambled with the SHA-256 algorithm, which has been passed over in recent years in favor of stronger password scramblers.

Imgur said the breach didn't include personal information because the site has "never asked" for real names, addresses, or phone numbers. The stolen accounts represent a fraction of Imgur's 150 million monthly users. The hack went unnoticed for four years until the stolen data was sent to Troy Hunt, who runs data breach notification service. 

Some of the world's largest websites are planning a coordinated day of action on Thursday to oppose mass surveillance online. The Reset the Net campaign aims to encourage direct action, urging visitors to install privacy and encryption tools on the 5^th of June.

The sites, which include Reddit, Imgur and BoingBoing, will be taking part in the campaign, called "Reset the Net", in a number of ways. Some will show a splash screen to all users, reminiscent of the one used in the successful protests against SOPA, the US copyright bill which many feared would damage the backbone of the internet. But rather than telling users to write to their electoral representatives, this protest will push more direct action, encouraging visitors to install privacy and encryption tools.