26 billion records exposed in "Mother of All Breaches": Report
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jan 29, 2024, 11.53 AM IST
Cybersecurity researchers have stumbled upon a massive database containing a staggering 26 billion leaked records. Dubbed the "Mother of all Breaches," it is likely the biggest found till date, as per Forbes. The database contains sensitive information from several sites including Twitter, Dropbox and LinkedIn. The breach was discovered by researchers from Security Discovery and Cybernews and runs to 12 terabytes in size, Forbes further said in its report.
Bob Dyachenko, cybersecurity researcher and owner at SecurityDiscovery.com, together with the Cybernews team, claims to have discovered billions upon billions of exposed records.
The leaked data also has records of users from Chinese messaging giant Tencent and social media platform Weibo. Records from Adobe, Canva and Telegram have also been found. The records from government organizations and Chinese platforms like Tencent and Weibo are also present.
Leaked data includes passwords
The leaked data is said to include several username and password combinations. In fact, while the bulk of the data appears to be recycled from past breaches, the presence of usernames and passwords poses a significant threat. Experts urge vigilance, advising users to update passwords and remain wary of phishing attempts.
“The dataset is extremely dangerous as threat actors could leverage the aggregated data for a wide range of attacks, including identity theft, sophisticated phishing schemes, targeted cyberattacks, and unauthorized access to personal and sensitive accounts,” the researchers said.
Some of the other biggest data leaks of the past include MySpace (360 million), Twitter (281 million), LinkedIn (251 million) and AdultFriendFinder (220 million).
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Here's what LinkedIn has to say
LinkedIn reached out to The Times of India-Gadgets Now team and said that the company was investigating the claims.
“We are working to fully investigate these claims and we have seen no evidence that LinkedIn's systems were breached," a LinkedIn said in a statement.
Bob Dyachenko, cybersecurity researcher and owner at SecurityDiscovery.com, together with the Cybernews team, claims to have discovered billions upon billions of exposed records.
The leaked data also has records of users from Chinese messaging giant Tencent and social media platform Weibo. Records from Adobe, Canva and Telegram have also been found. The records from government organizations and Chinese platforms like Tencent and Weibo are also present.
Leaked data includes passwords
The leaked data is said to include several username and password combinations. In fact, while the bulk of the data appears to be recycled from past breaches, the presence of usernames and passwords poses a significant threat. Experts urge vigilance, advising users to update passwords and remain wary of phishing attempts.
“The dataset is extremely dangerous as threat actors could leverage the aggregated data for a wide range of attacks, including identity theft, sophisticated phishing schemes, targeted cyberattacks, and unauthorized access to personal and sensitive accounts,” the researchers said.
Some of the other biggest data leaks of the past include MySpace (360 million), Twitter (281 million), LinkedIn (251 million) and AdultFriendFinder (220 million).
Also Read| Tech layoffs this week: Microsoft laying off 1,900 gaming staff, eBay cuts 1,000 jobs, and Flipkart, Swiggy plan job cuts, and more
Here's what LinkedIn has to say
LinkedIn reached out to The Times of India-Gadgets Now team and said that the company was investigating the claims.
“We are working to fully investigate these claims and we have seen no evidence that LinkedIn's systems were breached," a LinkedIn said in a statement.