GMAIL USERS AT RISK AS 183 MILLION CREDENTIALS EXPOSED IN MASSIVE GLOBAL LEAK

A sprawling new data breach has exposed more than 183 million email addresses and passwords, including tens of millions linked to Gmail accounts, in what cybersecurity experts are calling one of the most extensive credential leaks ever recorded. The data did not come from a direct hack of Google's servers. Instead, it emerged from an underground network of malware infections that silently stole login information from compromised personal devices around the world.

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The data did not come from a direct hack of Google's servers. Instead, it emerged from an underground network of malware infections that silently stole login information from compromised personal devices around the world. Researchers estimate that the archive of stolen credentials spans more than 3.5 terabytes of compressed files, accumulated through information-stealing malware campaigns operating since early 2025. Much of the dataset, uncovered by digital-forensics analysts earlier this month, had never appeared in previous breaches. According to specialists who examined the trove, roughly 16 million of the leaked Gmail addresses are entirely new entries—meaning those users have not been exposed before. The discovery underscores a recurring weakness in global cybersecurity: people continue to reuse the same passwords across multiple services, giving attackers a simple path from one platform to another.

The compromised data first surfaced on criminal forums before circulating more widely on Telegram channels and dark-web marketplaces, where credential dumps are often traded in bulk. Security researcher Troy Hunt, who operates the “Have I Been Pwned” tracking service, verified that the files contained millions of genuine logins captured by so-called infostealer malware. This kind of malicious software hides inside infected browsers or pirated applications, recording usernames, passwords and autofill data before sending them to remote servers.

HOW THE BREACH HAPPENED AND WHY GMAIL USERS ARE EXPOSED