MORE than three billion email and password combinations have been leaked online following a series of major security breaches.
The data dump shared to hacker forums last week is a collection of user credentials stolen during online raids of firms like Netflix and LinkedIn.
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Logins for hugely popular email services Gmail and Hotmail – which boast billions of users between them – are also part of the breach.
It’s been described by tech news website BGR as the “mother of all leaks”.
“At least some of your data is almost certainly caught up in this trove,” the site reported.
Dubbed “Comb”, or the Compilation of Many Breaches, the data dump is not the result of a new hack or data breach.
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Instead, it features user credentials skimmed from multiple previous leaks all collected into one, easy-to-use database.
In total, its creators amassed more than 15.2billion breached accounts, along with more than 2.5billion unique emails, CyberNews reports.
Among the details they collected are logins for 117million LinkedIn accounts leaked in 2021, as well as Netflix login data.
According to CyberNews, Comb may be the largest ever collection of stolen login details ever shared online.
Hackers who gain access to your email and password combinations could use them to breach your other accounts.
How to stay safe from hackers
- Protect your devices and networks by keeping them up to date: use the latest supported versions, use anti-virus and scan regularly to guard against known malware threats.
- Use multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of password compromises.
- Tell staff how to report suspected phishing emails, and ensure they feel confident to do so, investigate their reports promptly and thoroughly.
- Set up a security monitoring capability so you are collecting the data that will be needed to analyse network intrusions
- Prevent and detect lateral movement in your organisation’s networks.
Scammers often use leaked credentials to fleece people for cash using phishing emails and other forms of cyber attack.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to check whether Comb includes your login details.
Cybernews has created a free search tool where you can plug in your email address to find out whether you’re safe.
If your credentials have been exposed, the site will tell you which data breach was responsible.
Those affected are advised to change their passwords – making sure that new passwords are strong – and to use two-factor authentication on email accounts to ensure they’re safe.
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