Researchers say this breach is the largest data leak ever discovered.
Researchers from Security Discovery and CyberNews are calling the massive data leak the largest data breach ever discovered. The 12 terabyte “Mother of All Breaches (MOAB)” database contains user information from various platforms and government agencies.
According to the researchers, this database was likely compiled by a malicious actor or data broker. Threat actors could use the collected data in a range of attacks, including identity theft, sophisticated fraud schemes, targeted cyberattacks and unauthorized access to personal accounts. What the data contains has not been detailed, but it is said to be sensitive and valuable to cybercriminals.
26 billion personal records leaked
In addition to data from Chinese messaging giant Tencent and social media platform Weibo, the database contains records from popular platforms such as Twitter, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Adobe, Canva and Telegram. Worryingly, data from government agencies in the US and other countries has also been leaked.
Researchers warn to be wary of any suspicious activity or phishing emails on your social media or banking apps. They also say that if users use the same passwords for their Netflix accounts as they do for their Gmail accounts, attackers can use this to target other, more sensitive accounts.
An important note is that much of this data is not new, but rather a combination of thousands of previous leaks and data breaches. However, usernames and password combinations are also included in the database, increasing the risk of phishing attacks. Experts warn that the use of this data could lead to an increase in phishing attacks in the coming weeks.
