Unprecedented Scale of the Data Breach
In what is being described as the largest data breach in history, an estimated 1.3 billion passwords and 2 billion email addresses have been leaked online. The breach, confirmed by the cybersecurity service Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), is linked to cybercriminal activity and dwarfs all previous incidents.
HIBP's CEO, Troy Hunt, issued a stark warning, stating that the scale of this leak is nearly three times larger than any previous breach the service has recorded. He emphasised that the situation is far from exaggerated, with the sheer volume of compromised data speaking for itself.
How the Massive Data Leak Occurred
The colossal trove of personal information did not originate from a single hack of a major company. Instead, the data was systematically gathered from countless individual computers infected with a specific type of malware known as infostealers. This malicious software secretly records the email addresses and passwords a user enters when logging into websites.
These recorded details, referred to as 'stealer logs', were then leaked onto easily accessible online platforms. The data found its way onto Telegram channels, various social media sites, and web forums, creating a vast and dispersed repository of stolen credentials.
Alarmingly, Hunt revealed that approximately 625 million of the exposed passwords had never been seen in any prior data breach, indicating a fresh and significant haul for cybercriminals.
How to Protect Yourself and Check if You Are Affected
If you are concerned your information may be part of this leak, you can take immediate action. The free service offered by Have I Been Pwned allows you to check whether your email address or passwords have been compromised.
To check your email, simply navigate to the HIBP website and enter your address. The service will show you if that email account, or any accounts created with it, have appeared in known data breaches, including this latest one.
For a more specific check related to this infostealer malware incident, you can create a free account on HIBP. This grants access to a dashboard where you can select the 'Stealer Logs' option to see if your email was recorded by this type of malware.
Furthermore, you can use the Pwned Passwords tool to check if any of your passwords have been exposed in any breach. If the service confirms your details were leaked and you have not changed that password since, you should change it immediately on all relevant sites.
This historic breach serves as a critical reminder of the importance of robust cyber hygiene, including using unique, strong passwords for different online accounts.
