Cybercriminals Steal 16 Billion Login Credentials in Largest Data Breach Ever Recorded 

A new report from Cybernews claims that cybercriminals have gotten their hands on around 16 billion stolen login credentials in what might be the largest data breach ever recorded. According to deputy editor Vilius Petkauskas, their team uncovered 30 different exposed datasets this year alone, with some containing over 3.5 billion records each. These datasets included sensitive data from all kinds of platforms, such as social media, corporate networks, VPNs, and developer tools.

The researchers stated that the data appeared briefly online, long enough for them to discover, but not long enough to determine who leaked it. Most of the information came from stealer malware, credential stuffing tools, and older leaks that were bundled together. Some datasets even included business-focused data, cloud service details, and files that had been locked. However, what alarmed experts the most was how recent and well-structured the datasets were, which suggests that they are primed for large-scale misuse.

Unsurprisingly, Cybernews warned that this type of leak is dangerous because it gives hackers the tools for phishing, ransomware attacks, and account takeovers. Each record typically included a website link, username, and password, which is how most modern data-stealing malware gathers info. Some dataset names also suggested that malware was used in the process. While it’s unclear how many people were affected due to the overlap between datasets, the report says it’s “virtually guaranteed” that at least some of the data came directly from criminal sources.

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