As per the news publications, one of the biggest password compilations ever has been leaked. With numerous passwords being stolen, it does raise a security concern in the minds of users. The file, which was titled RockYou2024.txt, has a massive 9,948,575,739 unique plaintext passwords. Notably, it was posted by the forum bearing the name of “ObamaCare.”
Cybernews reported that the RockYou2024.txt file has passwords stolen in the mix of old and new attacks. 3 years ago, the RockYou2021 password compilation exposed ~8.4 billion plain text passwords. With today’s leak, there has been an addition of extra 1.5 billion passwords. With passwords being stolen in the huge amount, there is a question which pops in everyone’s brain.
How do criminals use these passwords?
Just like several other leaks, the RockYou2024 database allows the potential criminals initiate brute force attacks and get unauthorized access to online accounts which are exposed. Apart from this, RockYou2024 leak makes it easy for attackers to utilize a technique named as credential stuffing. Credential stuffing refers to the form of brute force password attack which takes advantage of people recycling their login information.
With such malpractices, what should users do to minimize the risk? With numbers of passwords being stoles touching record highs, users are required to be extra careful.
Considering this, Cybernews established its own data leak checker to check if user’s credentials are exposed or not. Likewise, a renowned data leak site named “HavelBeenPwned” could show you if your records are leaked. Going forward, users should protect themselves by always using strong, complex and unique passwords for all of the online accounts.
While they could come up with passwords on their own, best password managers could do this for them. These managers also help in storing them securely in one place.
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