Billions of login credentials leaked: “It’s a blueprint for mass exploitation”

More than 16 billion login credentials have been leaked, researchers said this week, in what they believe to be one of the largest data breaches ever, reports Time.

The Time reports adds that according to researchers at Cybernews, who announced the alarming number as part of an ongoing investigation that began at the start of the year, “the information in the exposed datasets “opens the doors to pretty much any online service imaginable, from Apple, Facebook, and Google, to GitHub, Telegram, and various government services.””

“This is not just a leak—it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation,” researchers said. “With over 16 billion login records exposed, cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing.”

More here.