Billions of Email and Password Combinations Leaked by DarkBeam

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DarkBeam is a digital risk protection firm, which left its interface unprotected and so exposed records with user emails and passwords from previously reported and non-reported data breaches. These leaked logins present cybercriminals with almost limitless attack capabilities.

The CEO of SecurityDiscovery Bob Diachenko first identified the leak, and he states that it contained over 3.8 billion records. DarkBeam has apparently been collecting information to alert its customers in case of a data breach, but this incident will most likely affect more than only DarkBeam users.

According to Cybernews, the data leak was first identified in September and was closed instantly after Diachenko informed the company about the issue. Diachenko claims that data leaks such as this one usually happen due to human error.

The leaked data contained 16 collections named “email 0-9” and “email A-F,” each containing 239,635,000 records. Exposing the collections of login pairs (emails and passwords) is very dangerous since it provides malicious actors with almost limitless attack capabilities.

According to Cybernews, threat actors may target affected users with crafted phishing campaigns using their personal information, since phishing attacks often impersonate trusted people or organizations to trick victims into giving up sensitive data.

If you suspect that one or more of your passwords may have been leaked, Cybernews provides tips on how to respond-

Firstly, they advise to check if the data (email, phone number, or password) has been leaked. Then, if the data has indeed been compromised, change your passwords across your online accounts. Another strong protection is to enable two-factor authentication on all of your online accounts. Lastly, watch out for incoming spam emails, unsolicited texts, and phishing messages, since they could be the result of your email address being leaked.