A significant cybersecurity breach has exposed the passwords and personal data of over 183 million Gmail users, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced online security measures. The leak, which amounts to approximately 3.5 terabytes of stolen data, includes email addresses, passwords, and the websites where these credentials were used. This compromised information has surfaced on the Have I Been Pwned database, known for tracking major data breaches. Cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt attributes the incident to prevalent infostealer malware that gathers user credentials from infected devices, with Gmail accounts being the most affected. This breach is part of a series of recent cyber-theft incidents and follows warnings from Google about sophisticated AI-driven scams targeting Gmail users. Although the stolen data did not come from Google’s systems, the company advises users to adopt precautionary measures such as enabling two-step verification and considering passkeys as a more secure alternative to passwords. Google also suggests checking for unfamiliar logins and using the Account Recovery tool if access has been compromised. Cybersecurity analysts recommend that those potentially affected should promptly update their passwords on all platforms and enable multifactor authentication to mitigate the risk of identity theft.
Were 183 Million Gmail Passwords Stolen?
