Digital giants in turmoil: Alleged leak exposes 26B data records

A 12 terabyte-sized database containing 26 billion data leaks from many messaging and social media platforms and services has been discovered

The digital world is facing an unprecedented data leak. Researchers from Security Discovery and CyberNews have discovered a 12-terabyte leak containing 26 billion records, including data from Chinese messaging giant Tencent and social media organization Weibo, as well as records of users of platforms and services such as X, formerly known as Twittter, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Adobe, Canva, and Telegram.

According to the research, most of the data in the database appears to be records compiled from thousands of previous breaches and leaks, with very little new data.

The database is thought to have been compiled by malicious actors, and according to the research team, threat actors can 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.

“We should never underestimate what cybercriminals can do with such limited information,” Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at software company ESET, told Forbes. “Victims need to be aware of the consequences of stolen passwords and make the necessary security updates in response,” Moore continued, “including changing their passwords, being vigilant for phishing emails following a breach, and ensuring that all accounts, whether affected or not, are equipped with two-factor authentication.”

Source: Newsroom