Data breach exposes 184M passwords, likely captured by malware

JuSun/Getty Images Yet another data breach has exposed passwords and other sensitive information – but this one is a whopper. Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler revealed his discovery of a massive online database containing more than 184 million unique account credentials, in a report published Thursday. Usernames, passwords, emails, and URLs for a host of applications and websites, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, among others, were stored in a file. The database also contained credentials for bank and financial accounts, health platforms, and government portals. Also: The best password managers of 2025: Expert tested The problem? The file was unencrypted. No password protection. No security. Just a plain text file with millions of sensitive pieces of data. Based on his analysis, Fowler determined the data was captured by some kind of infostealer malware. A popular tool used by cybercriminals, an infostealer is designed to grab username ... Read full article.