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Massive Credential Troves Linked to Infostealer Malware Flood the Web

Authorities warn the collections raise the odds of automated account takeovers and urge immediate password changes, unique credentials, and multi‑factor authentication.

Overview

  • Have I Been Pwned added roughly 56.3 million unique email addresses and 124 million unique passwords from stealer‑logs to its searchable indexes in mid‑June.
  • Independent researchers reported a separate, far larger unsecured collection of about 24 billion records on a server that combined 36 sources and whose operator remains unidentified.
  • Infostealer malware harvests saved passwords, browser cookies, tokens and other data from infected devices and compiles 'stealer‑logs' that are traded or aggregated into huge databases.
  • Security agencies and experts advise users to stop reusing passwords, enable multi‑factor authentication, use a password manager, and check exposure via services such as Have I Been Pwned.
  • The new findings echo earlier mega‑collections and heighten the risk of widespread credential‑stuffing attacks, while investigations and monitoring of the datasets’ circulation continue.