Largest data leak in history exposes 10 billion passwords

Security researchers issued a warning as one of the largest databases of leaked passwords has emerged online, Forbes reported.

The database, a text file named “Rockyou2024”, contains an astonishing 9,948,575,739 unique passwords compiled in plain text and was posted on an online forum popular with hackers late last week.

CyberNews experts say this leak has the potential to trigger a wave of data breaches, identity theft and financial fraud, GB News reported.

The database appears to be a mixture of old and new data breaches.

Researchers were quoted saying “In its essence, the RockYou2024 leak is a compilation of real-world passwords used by individuals all over the world. Revealing that many passwords for threat actors substantially heightens the risk of credential stuffing attacks.”