In a shocking turn of events, a massive password compilation titled 'RockYou2024' containing nearly ten billion unique plaintext passwords was leaked on a popular hacking forum on July 4, 2024. This leak is an expansion of the previously released RockYou2021 compilation which included eight and a half billion passwords.
The Cybernews research team discovered this massive data breach and believes that everyone should take immediate action to secure their online accounts due to the severity of this leak. The leaked passwords pose a significant threat, especially for those who reuse their passwords across multiple platforms.
The RockYou2024 compilation is believed to be the largest of its kind and was created by scouring the internet for data leaks over a period of more than two decades. The file, which weighs in at over 100GB, contains a mix of old and new data breaches from various sources.
The threat actors behind this leak are likely to use these passwords for credential stuffing attacks, where they attempt to log into multiple online services using the same username and password combination. This can lead to unauthorized access to various online accounts, financial fraud, identity theft, and other malicious activities.
Some of the sources from which this data was obtained include Santander, Ticketmaster, Advance Auto Parts, QuoteWizard, Simmons & Simmons law firm's database leak in January 2024 and AskGamblers. The impacted users are advised to immediately reset their passwords for all affected accounts and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
It is important to note that this leak does not include any private data, such as names or contact information, but only the plaintext passwords themselves. However, it is still a significant threat due to the sheer volume of data involved.
The Cybernews research team advises users to avoid using weak and easily guessable passwords and instead opt for strong and unique ones. They also recommend using a reputable password manager to securely store your passwords.
