ALBAWABA - According to CyberNews, the greatest collection of stolen login credentials ever discovered, dubbed RockYou2024, has been posted on a notorious criminal marketplace, warning that individuals who often reuse their passwords might be seriously at risk from this kind of breach.
With an astounding 9,948,575,739 distinct unencrypted passwords, Cybernews researchers have uncovered what is believed to be the biggest password collection to ever leak. ObamaCare, an online community member, uploaded the data-containing the file titled rockyou2024.txt, on July 4.
With an estimated total of 4,000 massive collections of stolen login information spanning more than two decades, the RockYou2024 assembly is purportedly made up of entries from an earlier credentials database called RockYou 2021, which included 8.4 billion passwords, with an additional 1.5 billion passwords added to the mix.
Regarding the possible risks associated with the password breach, the investigation team said that “threat actors could exploit the RockYou2024 password compilation to conduct brute-force attacks and gain unauthorized access to various online accounts used by individuals who employ passwords included in the dataset.”
Hackers use a kind of attack known as brute forcing to break into accounts. This method involves utilizing a series of usernames and passwords in conjunction with one another until they are able to successfully obtain entry. When the procedure is automated, it is much simpler for a hacker to test possibly millions of different passwords in sequence.
“Moreover, combined with other leaked databases on hacker forums and marketplaces, which, for example, contain user email addresses and other credentials, RockYou2024 can contribute to a cascade of data breaches, financial frauds, and identity thefts,” the researchers add.
To protect oneself against the RockYou2024 hack, researchers note that resetting all impacted accounts' passwords with strong, unique passwords that aren't repeated is essential. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is advised wherever practicable to extend protection beyond a password. Additionally, password management software can securely create and store complicated passwords, reducing the danger of password reuse across accounts.
