Latest news with #dataLeak
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A massive trove of 16 billion stolen passwords was discovered — here's what to do
Researchers say they uncovered a massive data leak exposing 16 billion login credentials. The leak involves logins for platforms like Apple, Gmail, and Facebook, posing security risks. Companies advise using two-step authentication and passkeys to protect your accounts. Researchers say they've uncovered one of the largest data leaks in history that involves many popular platforms. The leak includes nearly 16 billion login credentials that could give cybercriminals access to social media and business platforms such as Apple, Gmail, Telegram, Facebook, GitHub, and more, researchers at Cybernews said this week. Bad actors now have "unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing," the researchers said. The number of exposed people or accounts is unknown. The researchers said the data likely comes from malicious software known as infostealers. "What's especially concerning is the structure and recency of these datasets — these aren't just old breaches being recycled. This is fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale," the researchers said. Cybernews said researchers uncovered the leak when the datasets were exposed for a short period of time. It follows the May discovery of a database containing more than 184 million credentials, including Apple, Facebook, and Google logins, Wired earlier reported. If you're nervous that your logins are at risk, there are steps you can take to make your account safer. You can't unring the bell of an information leak. However, you can take steps to identify if your credentials have been involved in any data breaches and protect yourself in the future. You can check sites like Have I Been Pwned to see if your email has appeared in a data breach. Turning on two-step authentication for your accounts can also help protect them from unauthorized access. Platforms also offer resources to help users secure their accounts. Google encourages users to use protections that don't require a password, like a passkey. It's one of the tech giants, along with Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, that have been working to move users away from passwords to help secure their accounts. For those who prefer to stick with passwords, Google's password manager can store login credentials and notify users if they appear in a breach, a spokesperson told Business Insider. There's also Google's dark web report, a free tool that tracks whether personal information is floating around in online databases. GitHub, an online coding platform, offers developers a guide on how to implement safety measures in their organizations. The site recommends creating a security policy, having strict password guidelines, and requiring two-factor authorization. The data leak included logs — "often with tokens, cookies, and metadata," which makes it "particularly dangerous for organizations lacking multi-factor authentication or credential hygiene practices," the Cybernews team said. Meta offers a Privacy Checkup tool for users to review their privacy and security account settings. There, you can turn on two-factor authentication and ensure Meta alerts you of unusual logins. Meanwhile, Telegram said its primary login method sends a one-time password to users over SMS. "As a result, this is far less relevant for Telegram users compared to other platforms where the password is always the same," a Telegram spokesperson told BI about the data leak. Apple, GitHub, and Meta did immediately respond to a request for comment on the data leak. Google said it was directing users to some of the security resources above. Read the original article on Business Insider
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Healthcare records of 8m Americans leaked online... and the clue YOU are affected
A massive data leak has compromised the healthcare records of more than eight million Americans. Cybersecurity researchers found the information was exposed in an unprotected dental marketing database, allowing anyone to see the details online. The dataset included roughly 2.7 million patient profiles and 8.8 million appointment records. It included names, dates of birth, addresses, contact details, and sensitive healthcare metadata enough to form a detailed profile of each patient. Experts warned the leak is enough for attackers to carry out identity theft for financial gain. They are also urging Americans to keep a close eye on medical and insurance records for signs of unauthorized activity. Anyone who has had a dental appointment recently may also want to enroll in an identity theft monitoring service. The database is owned by Gargle, a Utah-based company that builds websites and offers marketing tools for dental practices, which has since secured the database this month. It is unclear how long the database remained exposed or who may have accessed it before it was secured. Cybernews researchers discovered a third-party entity was behind the leak. While Gargle did not issue a statement acknowledging ownership, Cybernews said all clues point to the company. The database lacked basic protections and cybersecurity monitoring, likely due to human error. Although Gargle is not a healthcare provider itself, it operates key patient-facing systems, such as scheduling tools, online forms and payment services, which, if left unsecured, can become high-risk points of entry for a data breach. has contacted Gargle for comment. The leak has raised concerns about third-party companies handling patient data, as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates strong security protections for entities that deal with this sensitive information. And it comes after researchers at cyber watchdog Check Point revealed a staggering 276 million patient records were compromised in 2024. The report suggested that eight in 10 Americans had some form of medical data stolen last year. The biggest hack in 2024 was also one of the largest healthcare data breaches in US history, affecting 190 million patients tied to Change Healthcare. Now, the team at Check Point has identified a new healthcare cyberattack that could expose even more sensitive information than the previous year. According to the team, cybercriminals are impersonating practicing doctors to trick patients into revealing Social Security numbers, medical histories, insurance details, and other personal data. The phishing campaign has been active since March 20, and researchers estimate that 95 percent of its targets are in the US. 'In some versions of these phishing emails, cybercriminals deploy images of real, practicing doctors but pair them with fake names,' the Check Point team reported. The emails instruct recipients to contact a listed healthcare provider using a specific phone number, which is part of the scam. Researchers noted that Zocdoc has become a key tool in the attackers' arsenal, allowing them to use images of real doctors while disguising their identities with fake credentials. In one case, cybercriminals created a fake profile on Zocdoc using a real doctor's photo but a fake name and sent a fake pre-appointment message, booking confirmation, and additional instructions. To safeguard patients' private information and finances, healthcare organizations are urged to install advanced phishing filters, conduct regular cybersecurity training and mock drills, and equip their IT teams to respond quickly to cyberthreats. In response to the rise in medical record breaches, a new set of HIPAA regulations was proposed in January 2025. The goal is to enhance the protection of medical records through stronger data encryption and stricter compliance checks. The proposed rule is expected to cost $9 billion in the first year and $6 billion annually over the next four years. Patients affected by data breaches are urged to monitor their financial accounts, request credit reports, and consider placing fraud alerts. 'Patients are encouraged to review statements from their healthcare providers and report any inaccuracies immediately,' said Yale New Haven Health.
NHK
10-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Privacy panel received record number of data leak reports in FY2024
The government's commission on protecting personal information says it received a record number of reports involving personal data leaks and losses by private businesses across Japan in the last fiscal year. The government on Tuesday approved at a Cabinet meeting an annual report compiled by the Personal Information Protection Commission. The commission said it was told of 19,056 such cases in fiscal 2024 ending in March. That's the most since it began the survey in fiscal 2017. The cases include that of a list vendor fined for buying illegally leaked personal information that was part of a massive data leak by a former temp worker at a subsidiary of telecom firm NTT West. The leak had been carried out in 2023. Another case involved issuance of an official certificate to the wrong person at a convenience store in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, due to an error linked to the My Number national ID system. The commission said it issued a recommendation based on a personal information protection law and provided 395 pieces of guidance or advice. The report also said the number of personal data leaks and losses related to the My Number system during the period was 2,052, up sixfold from the previous year. The commission said it believes a single hacking case in a cyberattack led to numerous other leaks, resulting in the soaring number of cases.
CNA
02-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Coinbase breach linked to customer data leak in India, sources say
WASHINGTON :Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase knew as far back as January about a customer data leak at an outsourcing company connected to a larger breach estimated to cost up to $400 million, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters. At least one part of the breach, publicly disclosed in a May 14 SEC filing, occurred when an India-based employee of the U.S. outsourcing firm TaskUs was caught taking photographs of her work computer with her personal phone, according to five former TaskUs employees. Three of the employees and a person familiar with the matter said Coinbase was notified immediately. The ex-employees said they were briefed on the matter by company investigators or colleagues who witnessed the incident in the Indian city of Indore, noting that the woman and a suspected accomplice were alleged to have been feeding Coinbase customer information to hackers in return for bribes. The ex-employees and person familiar with the matter said more than 200 TaskUs employees were soon fired in a mass layoff that drew Indian media attention. Coinbase had previously blamed "support agents overseas" for the breach, which it estimated could cost up to $400 million. Although the link between TaskUs and the breach was previously alleged in a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Manhattan, details of the incident, reported here for the first time, raise further questions over when Coinbase first learned of the incident. Coinbase said in the May SEC filing that it knew contractors accessed employee data "without business need" in "previous months." Only when it received an extortion demand on May 11 did it realize that the access was part of a wider campaign, the company said. In a statement to Reuters on Wednesday, Coinbase said the incident was recently discovered and that it had "cut ties with the TaskUs personnel involved and other overseas agents, and tightened controls." Coinbase did not disclose who the other foreign agents were. TaskUs said in a statement that two employees had been fired early this year after they illegally accessed information from a client, which it did not identify. "We immediately reported this activity to the client," the statement said. "We believe these two individuals were recruited by a much broader, coordinated criminal campaign against this client that also impacted a number of other providers servicing this client." The person familiar with the matter confirmed that Coinbase was the client and that the incident took place in January.
Reuters
02-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Coinbase breach linked to customer data leak in India, sources say
WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase knew as far back as January about a customer data leak at an outsourcing company connected to a larger breach estimated to cost up to $400 million, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters. At least one part of the breach, publicly disclosed in a, opens new tab May 14 SEC filing, opens new tab, occurred when an India-based employee of the U.S. outsourcing firm TaskUs was caught taking photographs of her work computer with her personal phone, according to five former TaskUs employees. Three of the employees and a person familiar with the matter said Coinbase was notified immediately. The ex-employees said they were briefed on the matter by company investigators or colleagues who witnessed the incident in the Indian city of Indore, noting that the woman and a suspected accomplice were alleged to have been feeding Coinbase customer information to hackers in return for bribes. The ex-employees and person familiar with the matter said more than 200 TaskUs employees were soon fired in a mass layoff that drew Indian media attention, opens new tab. Coinbase had previously blamed "support agents overseas" for the breach, which it estimated could cost up to $400 million. Although the link between TaskUs and the breach was previously alleged in a lawsuit filed last week, opens new tab in federal court in Manhattan, details of the incident, reported here for the first time, raise further questions over when Coinbase first learned of the incident. Coinbase said in the May SEC filing that it knew contractors accessed employee data "without business need" in "previous months." Only when it received an extortion demand on May 11 did it realize that the access was part of a wider campaign, the company said. In a statement to Reuters on Wednesday, Coinbase said the incident was recently discovered and that it had "cut ties with the TaskUs personnel involved and other overseas agents, and tightened controls." Coinbase did not disclose who the other foreign agents were. TaskUs said in a statement that two employees had been fired early this year after they illegally accessed information from a client, which it did not identify. "We immediately reported this activity to the client," the statement said. "We believe these two individuals were recruited by a much broader, coordinated criminal campaign against this client that also impacted a number of other providers servicing this client." The person familiar with the matter confirmed that Coinbase was the client and that the incident took place in January. Reuters could not determine whether any arrests have been made. Police in Indore did not return a message seeking comment.
