16 billion password leaks: It is reported here whether your account was hacked or not
In one of the biggest data violations to date, researchers have found that more than 16 billion new stolen passwords have been leaked online. This leak has exposed millions of users to cyber threats. It is a quick guide to check if your account is affected.
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In short
- Leakage includes email, social media and login data from developer platforms
- Researchers believe that this data has been stolen through a malware called infostealer
- It is also being sold on dark web forums
Referred to one of the most serious safety violations in Internet history, more than 16 billion passwords have been leaked online. The leaks allegedly include individual email and social media accounts to developer tools such as github and in some cases, even login information from government platforms.
Most importantly, the data leaked in this violation do not include recycled old data. According to reports by cyberrenus and forbes, most of the credentials are newly severed and highly useful by hackers. Thus it puts millions of users at risk of cyber crime, including identity theft, fishing attacks and account kidnapping.
The leaked data is believed to have been collected using infoster malware – malicious software that quietly infects the user’s device, removes login details from browsers or apps, and sends them to cyber criminals. These stolen credentials are then either used directly or sold in bulk on dark web forums, where access is inexpensive and often does not require technical expertise.
To make this violation more is the format in which the data is leaked. Each leak entry allegedly includes a website URL, followed by a user name and password. This makes the data easier for exploitation of hackers. Experts have warned that this safety violation may lead to an increase in theft, phishing scams and account acquisitions in various online platforms.
While the news is certainly worrying, you can check if your account has been exposed in this violation or any previous one.
How to check if your account has been exposed
A way to check is through a website that I have said that I am pwned. It is a free platform maintained by cyber security expert Troy Hunt. The site collects data from hundreds of violations and allows users to find by email address or password whether they have been compromised.
To check your credentials-
– Go to the site and enter your email address at the search bar.
– “Pwned?” Click on whether your email appears in any known violations.
– Use the “Password” tab to check if your commonly used passwords have been exposed.
What will happen if your data is compromised?
If you find that your email ID or password is part of a violation, then there are some immediate steps that you need to take:
- Change your password for immediate affected service.
- If you have reused the same password elsewhere, change it on those platforms as well.
- You can also use a password manager like Google Password Manager to generate strong and unique passwords.
- Also enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an additional layer of security to your accounts.
- You can also use passkeys, which are more secure than traditional passwords because they use biometric authentication.
