Biggest data leak ever: 16 billion passwords exposed

At least 16 billion passwords from Apple, Facebook, Netflix and PayPal accounts have been exposed in what is considered the largest data breach ever, according to cybersecurity think tank Cybernews, cited by Forbes.

According to the American business magazine, this is the largest password leak in history, being much higher than the leak of more than 184 million last May.

The case began to be investigated in early 2024 and experts discovered 30 separate data sets, each with between tens of millions and 3.5 billion records, revealed Vilius Petkauskas, from Cybernews.

Among the compromised data are social media logins and passwords, VPN services, platforms and accounts from Apple, Google, Facebook, GitHub, Telegram and even government resources.

This information can be used for phishing attacks - a type of attack in which social engineering techniques are used to capture sensitive information from a victim using email - and account hacking.

"This is not just a leak – it is a plan for mass exploitation," the group stressed. "This is not just old leaks being recycled."

How to have a strong and secure password?

Last year, DECOPROteste published a guide with tips for having a strong and secure password. Remember the main ones:

• Use a unique password for each account;
• Avoid using personal data in passwords;
• Invent a 'passphrase';
• Keep passwords to yourself;
• Protect your accounts with two-factor authentication;
• Change passwords frequently;
• Use a password manager.

Passwords like "123456" or "password" should be avoided, as should the same password for multiple accounts and online logins. Follow these tips.

News to the Minute | 07:04 - 21/02/2024

How do you know if you've been 'hacked'?

You can enter your email address on the Have I Been Pwned? website to check if any of your accounts have been hacked.

How can you protect your accounts?

• Change passwords on all important accounts/services;
• Use password generators as they help you create and store secure combinations;
• Be careful with suspicious SMS and emails.

It should be noted that, in 2024 alone, the Public Prosecutor's Office's (MP) cybercrime office received 3,973 complaints, the highest number since 2016, the year in which this entity began receiving complaints related to cybercrime via email.

The data is included in the strategy of the Attorney General's Office (PGR) for cybercrime, the document of which was released in March and in which it is highlighted that the complaints are "increasingly and persistently more numerous from year to year" and that they represent only a part of all the complaints that are received by all the MP services.

This type of crime includes scam campaigns known as "hello mom, hello dad", scams related to false invoice payments, fake clothing websites, or fraudulent pages of public bodies.

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