Hackers struck. The biggest data leak in history? 26 BILLION records

Data leaks containing private data such as credit card numbers, addresses or PESEL numbers have recently become a sad everyday occurrence. From time to time, we inform about another successful attack by hackers who got their hands on this type of information.

However, the scale of the leak they found is unprecedented. According to ESET, they discovered a database containing as many as 26 billion records that found their way online. Suffice it to say that the file itself with this data is 12 terabytes in size. Researchers agree that this may be the largest leak of this type in history. And there is little consolation in the fact that – as experts explain – the discovered collection contains mainly information from previous violations. It is almost certain that new data also appeared in this set.

Where does this assumption come from? According to ESET, the data leak verification tool run by Cybernews, which uses data from all previous attacks, contains information from over 2,500 breaches and 15 billion records. Meanwhile, the recently discovered database has as much as – a trifle – 11 billion more records.

Beniamin Szczepankiewicz, an analyst from the ESET antivirus laboratory, emphasizes that the information obtained so far indicates that we are dealing with a large-scale leak that affects an unknown number of users, perhaps all over the world.

Many systems and platforms have recently been aggressively attacked. An update policy helps fight cybercriminals, but when a vulnerability is discovered, there is always a race against time to patch the problem before user data is compromised. Sometimes attackers who target a specific system also remain in stealth mode, not publicizing the vulnerability, monitoring activity and deciding to attack when least expected.

– explains Szczepankiewicz.

How to check if I have been the victim of a data leak?

In recent years, we have seen dozens, perhaps hundreds, of data leaks affecting users of popular online services. One of such leaks took place in May 2023, when a file containing millions of login and password records appeared on the Tor network on one of the forums, including: to Facebook, Allegro, gov.pl, Onet Poczta and mBank and ING banks.

In response, the Polish Ministry of Digitization launched a website where we can check whether our logins and passwords were leaked. All you need to do is log in there via , and then enter the login or e-mail address that you used to log in to the websites of one of the companies from which confidential information was stolen.

We can also check whether we have been a victim of one of the global data leaks in the past. This is where the website, created by Troy Hunt, a well-known security expert and former Microsoft employee, comes in handy.

Just enter our e-mail address in the search engine and haveIBeenPwned will generate a list of websites from which our data may have been leaked. What’s more, this week a search function by phone number was also made available (in the format +48 XXX XXX XXX).

Okay, but why should we trust Troy Hunt and enter our email or phone number on his website? It’s a valid question. It is worth noting, however, that Troy Hunt is a person who enjoys widespread trust and great reputation in the industry. The website’s creator has also repeatedly stated that HaveIBeenPwned does not collect any information about users.