Massive Breach Exposes 184 Million Passwords Across US Tech, Financial Sectors

A massive data breach has exposed over 184 million login credentials, including emails, passwords, and unprotected login links, linked to major companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, banks, and government agencies. The breach is notably dangerous because the data was stored in plain text without encryption or authentication, enabling easy unauthorized access and account takeovers, which heightens risks of identity theft and financial fraud. Cybersecurity expert Jeremiah Fowler described the exposed database as a "cybercriminal’s dream working list," emphasizing the severity of the breach amid a 312% increase in data breach victims in 2024. The breach has also impacted financial markets, causing stock indices to dip and cryptocurrency prices to fall as investors reacted to heightened cybersecurity concerns. Experts advise immediate actions including changing all passwords with unique, strong combinations, enabling multi-factor authentication, freezing credit reports, and auditing email contents to remove sensitive data. The breach highlights vulnerabilities associated with increased cloud service usage and the dangers posed by infostealer malware, which may have been the method of data collection.