Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A major cybersecurity breach has resulted in the theft of more than 1.3 billion passwords and over 2 million email addresses worldwide, marking one of the largest known data leaks in history. The breach, carried out by professional hackers, affects users across multiple platforms and countries, according to a report by the British newspaper Metro.
The non-profit organization “Have I Been Pwned” (HIBP), which notifies internet users if their data has been compromised, confirmed that email accounts from Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo are among those affected. Troy Hunt, CEO of HIBP, warned that anyone impacted by the leak should immediately change their passwords as a precautionary measure. “This number is nearly three times the size of the largest breach we’ve ever seen,” he said.
Users can check whether their email addresses and passwords were compromised through HIBP’s free online service. Cybersecurity experts emphasize that as long as individuals maintain strong, unique passwords and update them following a breach, they can reduce the risk of further exposure.
Experts recommend avoiding passwords that include personal information, common phrases, or references from popular culture. Strong passwords may include unusual sentences, mathematical combinations, or personally memorable punctuation sequences that are difficult for others to guess.
The latest breach comes less than a month after another attack exposed data from 183 million digital accounts. In this case, hackers used malware known as “information stealers,” which scans infected devices for stored login credentials and cookies to capture email addresses and passwords. Portions of the stolen data were later circulated online through social media, Telegram channels, and forums, making them easily accessible to other malicious actors.
The incident highlights the growing threat of large-scale cyberattacks and the critical importance of maintaining robust digital security practices in an increasingly connected world.
