16 billion reports discovered in 'one of the largest data offenses in history', including Apple accounts | Mint

Safety researchers have uncovered what seems to be “one of the biggest data offenses in history”, which contains more than 16 billion reports that include Apple accounts. The researchers told Cybernews that the stolen data offers cyber criminals “unprecedented access to personal letters that can be used for account takeover, identity theft and highly targeted phishing”. In May, Wired reported the presence of a ‘mysterious database’ with 184 million records. It has been found to put unprotected on a web server. The latest research emphasizes that the database may be just the tip of the iceberg. You may be interested in 55% discount on LG 24 inches (60.4 cm) IPS FHD monitor 1920 x 1080, AMD Freesenc, 100Hz, SRGB 99% TYP (CIE1931), Black Stabilizer, Virtual Borderless, Flicker Safe, Reader Mode, Oncreen Control, HDMI, VGA, 24MR400 (Black) Data sets, with each of them contain up to 3.5 billion records. The information, which includes social media and VPN reports as well as corporate and developer platforms, is contained in data sets that have been uncovered since the beginning of 2025. ‘Blueprint for mass extraction’, the researchers told Cybernews that this is not just a leak, but a ‘blueprint for mass extraction’. They pointed out that a aspect here is the ‘structure and review of these data sets’, adding that it was not old offenses recycled. “It’s fresh, arms intelligence on scale,” they said. The information in the leaked data sets opens gates to various online services, such as Apple, Facebook, Google, Github, Telegram as well as different government services, the report states. Researchers suggest that credentials can work on this scale as fuel for Phishing campaigns, acquisitions about the acquisitions and the compromise of business -e -mail (BEC). It has been found that this data was neatly composed, with different URLs, usernames and passwords indexed and offered. One of the data sets, with more than 455 million records, was mentioned to ‘indicate its origin in the Russian Federation’, while another with more than 60 million records was named after Telegram. The report added that most of these were “temporarily accessible” via unsecured elasticsearch or object storage institutions. Questions 1. How can you protect you from data offenses? A highly recommended option is two-factor authentication (2FA). Here the password is the first factor, while the second U Authenticator app, Pass Code, Phone Call or other methods may be. 2. Can we reuse old passwords? Cyber ​​experts suggest that people should avoid old passwords again, especially for apps on social media and digital payments. Individuals should also consider removing unused accounts. 3. What do cyber criminals do after getting personal letters from people? This gave them unprecedented access, allowing them to take over accounts for the purpose of identity theft and highly targeted phishing.