16 billion exposed login credentials

 

16B passwords leaked. By Cybernews

Several collections of login credentials reveal one of the largest data breaches in history, totaling a humongous 16 billion exposed login credentials. The data most likely originates from various infostealers.

This story, based on unique Cybernews findings and originally published on the website on June 18, is constantly being updated with clarifications and additional information in response to public discourse. The most recent version of the article features comments from Cybernews researcher Aras Nazarovas and Bob Diachenko who unveiled this recent data leak. We've also added a few screenshots as proof of the leak.

Key takeaways:

• The largest data breach in history involves 16 billion login credentials
• The records are scattered across 30 different databases, and some records are or might be overlapping
• The data most likely comes from various infostealers
• The data is recent, not merely recycled from old breaches
• Cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials and could exploit them for account takeovers, identity theft, and targeted phishing attacks

Unnecessarily compiling sensitive information can be as damaging as actively trying to steal it. For example, the Cybernews research team discovered a plethora of supermassive datasets, housing billions upon billions of login credentials. From social media and corporate platforms to VPNs and developer portals, no stone was left unturned.

Our team has been closely monitoring the web since the beginning of the year. So far, they’ve discovered 30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each. In total, the researchers uncovered an unimaginable 16 billion records.

None of the exposed datasets were reported previously, bar one: in late May, Wired magazine reported a security researcher discovering a “mysterious database” with 184 million records. It barely scratches the top 20 of what the team discovered. Most worryingly, researchers claim new massive datasets emerge every few weeks, signaling how prevalent infostealer malware truly is.