Researchers have confirmed an unprecedented data leak involving 16 billion account credentials, including passwords for Apple, Google, Facebook, and other services.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Forbes.

Vylius Petkauskas from Cybernews stated that researchers discovered «30 significant datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each». In total, the number of compromised records reached 16 billion, he added.

Experts believe the massive password leak is the work of several hacking groups.

This breach includes billions of login credentials for social networks, VPNs, developer portals, and user accounts for all major service providers. Researchers noted that this data had not previously appeared in leaks, marking it as new information. Only one database containing 184 million passwords was known before.

«This is not just a leak – it’s a plan for widespread exploitation. It’s not merely repurposed old leaks; it’s fresh, actionable intelligence on a grand scale,» the researchers stated.

The material emphasizes that these credentials represent a «zero point» for phishing attacks and account takeovers.

Most of this intelligence was structured in a URL format, followed by login data and passwords. According to researchers, the information contained opens doors to «virtually any online service,» from Apple and Facebook to Google, GitHub, Telegram, and various government services.

«The fact that the credentials in question hold high value for widely used services has far-reaching implications,» said Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security.

He added that this is why it is crucial for consumers to invest in password management solutions and dark web monitoring tools.

As reported by Ukrinform, American companies Microsoft and OpenAI are investigating possible unauthorized data access related to the ChatGPT developer by a group linked to the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.