News spread early Fridaythat a record-breaking data breach exposed 16 billion passwords to the world,best erotice reddit sites including user credentials for the likes of Facebook, Google, Apple, and tons of other places. Some commentators were quick to call it the largest password leak in history, and in terms of raw records exposed, that’s mostly, technically true. However, these records did notcome from a single breach — or even a new breach. Instead, they came from many smaller ones.
Data breaches are an unfortunate reality in the digital age, and some of the breaches can be quite large. However, not every release of stolen data is the direct result of a recent cybersecurity breach. As Mashable recently reported in our countdown of the top cybersecurity breaches of 2025, hackers will often compile information from multiple prior hacks and combine them into one massive file. This is becoming a trend in the darker corners of the internet. The end result is more of a “greatest hits” rather than a new, noteworthy hack.
Such is the case here. Per Bleeping Computer, the information contained in the 16 billion records was most likely compiled from a host of prior hacks, compiled, and then released as a single set of data. It was likely circulating for some time before being compiled, and likely came from a combination of breaches, hacks, phishing scams, and malware.
This is backed up by a tweetfrom vx-underground, an educational website that specializes in malware and cybersecurity. “Someone took a bunch of existing leaks, threw it all together, and slapped a NEW stick [sic] on it.”
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
However, the existence of all this data in one spot is still rather damaging, as cybercriminals now have access to all of this data in a single spot, potentially making it much easier to concoct more effective phishing scams or engage in identity theft.
The largest single-point data breach in history is still Yahoo’s 2016 breach, when hackers stole data about all three billion of the website’s users.
Mashable is live at VidCon 2025:Check out our VidCon coveragewith your favorite content creators now.
With so many records in one spot — even if some of them are legacy data that is no longer relevant — it’s still probably a good idea to take an audit of your online services to make sure you’re protected. A good place to start is Have I Been Pwned, a website dedicated to showing data breaches. Simply go there, enter your email address(es), and the site will show you which credentials have been exposed to the public.
We recommend changing those credentials immediately if you haven’t already, and using a strong password when you do so, as they are more difficult to crack. After that, you’ll want to enable multi-factor authenticationon every account you possibly can, as the added layer helps keep criminals from stealing your life if they obtain your password. That should be the bare minimum, but there are plenty of other steps you can taketo keep yourself safe online as well.
Have a story to share about a scam or security breach that impacted you? Tell us about it. Email [email protected]with the subject line "Safety Net" or use this form.Someone from Mashable will get in touch.
Topics Cybersecurity
The Best CPU & GPU Purchases of 2017
Apple is discontinuing Apple Pay Later, but a replacement is coming
TikTok child privacy complaint sent to U.S. Dept. of Justice
NASA reveals its moon spacecraft was damaged as it plummeted to Earth
Best GPU deal: GIGABYTE NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is $1,349.99 at Best Buy
The James Webb Space Telescope just opened up a new realm of the universe
James Webb telescope just found galaxies that shouldn't exist in deep space
The internet is obsessed with a boring new banana game
A hedgehog blown up 'like a beach ball' was popped in life
Jupiter, Venus, and the moon are striking to view in the night sky right now
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
Why AI assistants are having such a moment
What are the best seats on the plane?
Japan’s chip
The 12 Best Games on the iPhone
Croatia vs. Albania 2024 livestream: Watch Euro 2024 for free
The James Webb Space Telescope just opened up a new realm of the universe
China drafts national law on labeling AI
Great white shark leaps into tiny boat, fisherman treats it like NBD
The James Webb Space Telescope just opened up a new realm of the universe
Samantha Bee reflects on the 'steep learning curve' following backlashRoy Moore ALSO duped by Sacha Baron Cohen. What is wrong with people?Tribune Publishing baffles everyone by changing name to troncBuy a kiddie pool for your adult self this summerThe slightly irrational case for living microwaveReal headlines from InfoWars, a site that's not banned on FacebookBook publisher holds nothing back while live tweeting World Cup semiMichelle Wolf perfectly roasts Australia's 'bag rage'These glamorous chickens are bringing back '80s chicBette Midler named a chicken Kim Kardashian. Then it died of a yeast infection.These glamorous chickens are bringing back '80s chicTinder will soon make its gender options more transThe greatest World Cup meme has taken a deeply tragic twistDaughter's home from school and dad has already reached his limitPaul Ryan just wants Republicans to unite 'before the fall'$2,700 gold Nokia phone commemorates Trump and Putin's Helsinki summitDraco Malfoy's new dad style is terrifyingly muggleSamsung's Gear Fit 2 still looks hot as hell, now comes with builtObama and Biden fight crime in new mystery novel 'Hope Never Dies'Focus Features announces production of 'Downton Abbey' movie England vs. France 2025 livestream: Watch Six Nations for free 'Severance' Season 2, episode 4: What is the Glasgow Block? Best Super Bowl commercials in 2025: See the ads NYT Strands hints, answers for February 7 Google Search 'AI Mode' has started internal testing, report says Who is 'Black national anthem' singer Ledisi? Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online Best smartwatch deal: Save $107 on Garmin Forerunner 955 Best OLED TV deal: Save $770 on Samsung 55 Super Bowl Halftime 2025: Who will join Kendrick Lamar on stage? Super Bowl 2025 cheat sheet: Everything you need to know for Chiefs vs. Eagles Free Starbucks deal: Cash in on a free coffee during Starbucks Monday Amazon Prime members gets 10% off Grubhub orders through Feb. 17 Brighton vs. Chelsea 2025 livestream: Watch FA Cup for free Lego free Valentine's Day Heart: How to get free Lego Kendrick Lamar plays 'Not Like Us' during Super Bowl Halftime Show Kendrick Lamar halftime show: Every Drake diss we spotted $14 million ChatGPT Super Bowl ad is one big blob Best Samsung TV deal: Save $550 on Samsung DU9000 4K Smart TV Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
1.4602s , 8288.015625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【best erotice reddit sites】,Wisdom Convergence Information Network