JAKARTA - Cybersecurity researcher Jeremia Fowler discovered a large database that is not protected by passwords containing 184 million login and password credentials.
In his report on the planet's website, Fowler found that the database contained 184,162,718 logins and unique passwords, with a total of 47.42 GB of raw credential data.
The database contains login credentials and important information such as passwords for various services, applications, and accounts, including email providers, Microsoft products, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Roblox, and many more.
What's worse is that some of these login credentials are aimed at sensitive platforms such as bank and financial accounts, health platforms, and government portals from various countries.
Fowler also managed to verify the authenticity of some data by confirming the password directly with affected users, so there is no doubt about how serious the situation is.
"To confirm the authenticity of the data, I sent messages to some of the email addresses listed in the database and explained that I was investigating a data leak that might involve their information," Fowler said in his report.
As a result, it can validate some records as these people confirm that the records contain their accurate and valid passwords.
Experts believe this data is most likely taken by malware infostealer, a type of malicious software designed specifically to harvest sensitive information from infected systems.
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For example, they hide malware in phishing emails, malicious websites, or hacked software. After an active information thief, stolen data is often circulated on the dark web market and Telegram channels.
From a cybersecurity perspective, I strongly advise on knowing what sensitive information is stored in your email account and deleting old and sensitive emails containing PII, financial documents, or other important files on a regular basis, "said Fowler.
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