E-Paper
Sign In
16 billion passwords leaked in largest data breach, find researchers
Cybersecurity researchers say the information leak can open the door to pretty much any online service imaginable - Apple, Facebook, and Google, etc
- PUBLISHED: Fri 20 Jun 2025, 11:42 AM UPDATED: Fri 20 Jun 2025, 11:46 AM
In what is being touted as the largest data breach ever, 16 billion login credentials were found exposed. Researchers from Cybernews have discovered a number of supermassive datasets, with billions of login credentials.
The findings were the result of an ongoing investigation that the team started at the beginning of 2025. So far, they’ve discovered 30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each.
Recommended For You
The leak includes billions of login credentials from social media, VPNs, developer portals and user accounts for all the major vendors.
According to the report, most of the information followed a clear structure: URL, followed by login details and a password. They said that this is exactly how most modern infostealers – malicious software stealing sensitive information – collect data.
Which services are affected?
Researchers state that the the leak opened the door to “pretty much any online service imaginable, from Apple, Facebook, and Google, to GitHub, Telegram, and various government services.”
“With over 16 billion login records exposed, cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing” the researchers said.
They emphasized that it is especially concerning alarming that these aren’t just old breaches being recycled. “This is fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale,” researchers said.
How can you protect yourself?
The researchers say that maintaining basic cyber hygiene is essential. You can use a password manager to generate strong, unique passwords, and update them regularly. Users should also review their systems for infostealers, to avoid losing their data to attackers.
