Researchers have said that 16 billion passwords from Apple, Google and Facebook have been leaked in what could be one of the largest ever data breaches in history.
The data breach affects logins for Microsoft, Netflix, Instagram, Roblox, PayPal among others including governments in over 29 governments were also targeted in the attack, which has allowed cybercriminals to gain “unprecedented access to personal credentials.”
Cybernews reported that the intelligence was leaked in an URL with passwords and logins that will allow access to “pretty much any online service imaginable, from Apple, Facebook, and Google, to GitHub, Telegram, and various government services.”
Cybernews researchers have been investigating the leaks and found “30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each.”
They said, “This is not just a leak – it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation.
And they are right. These credentials are ground zero for phishing attacks and account takeover.
“These aren’t just old breaches being recycled. This is fresh, weaponisable intelligence at scale.”
People are being urged to immediately change their passwords as there is no way to find out if yours has been affected.
The FBI is warning people not to click on any text messages sent to an Android or iPhone.
The FBI said in a statement, “Don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. Look up the company’s phone number on your own (don’t use the one a potential scammer is providing), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate.”
