Is Your Gmail Account Safe? 183 Million Passwords Leaked: How To Check Safety Of Your Mailbox?
The breached dataset includes 183 million unique accounts, along with 16.4 million email addresses that had never appeared in prior leaks.
A massive data breach has exposed millions of email users to potential cyber threats, including those with Google’s Gmail accounts.
Troy Hunt, Australian cybersecurity researcher and founder of the website Have I Been Pwned, revealed that the stolen archives now circulating online contain an astounding 3.5 terabytes of compromised data.
According to reports from The New York Post, the breached dataset includes 183 million unique accounts, along with 16.4 million email addresses that had never appeared in prior breaches.
Security experts warn that these newly compromised credentials significantly increase the risk of phishing attacks and unauthorised account access.
Hunt explained the exposed credentials were acquired through these stealer logs data files generated by malicious software known as infostealers.
In his blog post, Hunt said the data leak has both stealer logs and credentials. "Stealer logs are the product of infostealers, that is, malware running on infected machines and capturing credentials entered into websites on input. The output of those stealer logs is primarily three things: Website address, Email address, Password. Someone logging into Gmail, for example, ends up with their email address and password captured against gmail.com, hence the three parts," explains Hunt in his blog.
Is Your Email Acct tCompromised? How To Check?
Users can verify whether their information was leaked by visiting HaveIBeenPwned.com. This website provides a detailed timeline and source overview of any known breaches linked to an email address.
If a user finds their credentials flagged, it is recommended that they change passwords immediately and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) without delay.
Despite public alarm, Google clarified that Gmail’s systems were not breached. "Reports of a Gmail security ‘breach’ impacting millions of users are entirely inaccurate and incorrect," a Google spokesperson told the news outlet The New York Post.
Google is encouraging users to adopt stronger defensive measures, including enabling two-step verification and transitioning to passkeys, a newer and more secure alternative to traditional passwords. The company also urges prompt password resets for anyone whose credentials appear in online leak reports, reported the outlet.
