Data Leak: A new report has created a stir in the online world. It is being claimed that the login details of over 149 million users have been leaked onto the internet.

Data Leak: A new report has created a stir online. It claims that the login details of over 149 million users have been leaked online. This reportedly includes accounts from major platforms like Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and Netflix.

This information comes from a report by ExpressVPN, which is based on findings from cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler. According to Fowler, a massive database containing sensitive login information was discovered publicly online.

Which platforms' accounts were affected?

According to the report, the leaked data includes accounts from several popular online services. It's being reported that the information of millions, if not billions, of users is being leaked. In total, the database claims to contain 149,404,754 unique usernames and passwords, and is estimated to be approximately 96GB in size.

The entire database was lying unprotected.

Fowler says the database was neither password-protected nor encrypted in any way, meaning anyone who found it could easily access it. Initial investigations revealed email IDs, usernames, passwords, and even direct login links.

No response from the companies yet.

According to the researcher, they contacted the major companies named in the report via email. However, at the time of publication, there had been no official response from any of the companies.

Fowler explained that the information contained in this leak isn't limited to just one country. The data includes accounts from users across the globe, covering almost every type of online service used daily.

Banking and crypto accounts also claimed

Most worryingly, initial sample testing also claims to have uncovered login details related to financial services, crypto wallets, trading platforms, bank accounts, and credit cards. This increases the risk of financial fraud and identity theft exponentially.

Government (.gov) accounts raise concerns.

The report also revealed that the leaked data included login details for .gov domains from several countries. While not every government account provides direct access to sensitive systems, even limited access could cause serious damage if it falls into the wrong hands.

Increased risk of cyber attacks

Fowler warned that such a large-scale leak of login details poses a significant risk to users, especially those unaware of the breach. The presence of emails, passwords, and precise login URLs could enable cybercriminals to launch automated attacks such as credential-stuffing.