Data Leak: A new report has created a stir in the online world. It is being claimed that login details of more than 149 million users have been leaked on the internet. It is said that accounts of big platforms like Gmail, Facebook, Instagram and Netflix are included in this.
This information has been revealed in ExpressVPN’s report which is based on the findings of cyber security researcher Jeremiah Fowler. According to Fowler, a large database was found openly online that contained sensitive login information.
The accounts of which platforms were affected?
According to the report, the leaked data includes accounts of many popular online services. In these, information of not lakhs but crores of users is being given. Overall, this database claims to have 149,404,754 unique usernames and passwords, whose size is said to be around 96GB.
The entire database was lying without security
Fowler says that this database was neither password protected nor encrypted in any way. That means whoever found it could easily reach it. In the initial investigation, email ID, username, password and even direct login link were found.
No response from companies yet
According to the researcher, he contacted the big companies whose names have appeared in the report through email. However, till the time the report was published, there was no official response from any company.
Fowler said that the information included in this leak is not limited to just one country. Accounts of users from different parts of the world have been found in the data, which include almost every type of online service used in daily life.
Banking and crypto accounts also claimed
The most worrying thing is that in the initial sample investigation, it has also been claimed to have found login details related to financial services, crypto wallets, trading platforms, bank accounts and credit cards. This increases the risk of financial fraud and identity theft manifold.
Government (.gov) accounts raise concerns
It has also been revealed in the report that the leaked data also includes login details related to .gov domains of many countries. Although not every government account grants direct access to sensitive systems, even limited access can cause serious harm if it falls into the wrong hands.
Increased risk of cyber attacks
Fowler has warned that leaking of login details on such a large scale is a big danger for the users, especially for those who are not aware about it. The presence of email, password, and exact login URL can help cyber criminals conduct automated attacks such as credential-stuffing.
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