Millions of accounts have been leaked by hackers! Change Password for Google and Social Apps now to protect your data and avoid identity theft.
Pakistan has recently been hit by a gigantic global data leak that has exposed 184 million distinct account credentials. The leak had revealed usernames, passwords, emails, and related URLs connected to leading platforms such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat; government portals; banking centers; and healthcare platforms.
The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has released an immediate advisory indicating that the exposed credentials were held in plain text without encryption and, therefore, are extremely susceptible to cyberattacks. The incident is suspected to have been triggered by infostealer malware that silently accessed sensitive information from compromised devices.
Possible Risks after Data Breach
- Credential stuffing attacks (automated login attempts with stolen credentials)
- Account takeovers (unauthorized access to user accounts)
- Identity theft and fraud
- Ransomware attacks and espionage
- Compromise of government and critical sector
- Phishing and social engineering attacks
Read this: Are Google is going to remove passwords forever?
Recommended Actions after Data Breach
- Change all online account passwords immediately.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for additional protection.
- Use separate, complicated passwords for various services.
- Don’t keep passwords in emails or unsecured documents.
- Securely manage credentials using a password manager, if available.
Authorities are appealing to users to take prompt action to minimize the effect of this breach and stop the misuse of compromised credentials.
How the Breach Affects You?
Thieves use pilfered credentials to perpetrate credential stuffing attacks, in which they try to sign in to accounts using prior leaked usernames and passwords. By reusing password strengths across various services, you might end up vulnerable to identity theft, financial fraud, or simply losing your access to your own personal accounts.
Things to Keep in Mind
As cybersecurity attacks are on the rise, updating your Google and other social networks’ passwords today is an easy but effective step toward protecting your personal data. Act now and be ahead of future cyberattacks!