Home / Technology / FBI Data Dump: 635M Passwords Surface Online
FBI Data Dump: 635M Passwords Surface Online
17 Dec
Summary
- FBI shared 635 million passwords from a single suspect's collection.
- Have I Been Pwned searches surged nearly tenfold in four years.
- 46 million passwords in the new batch were previously unknown.
A substantial collection of 635 million passwords has been added to Have I Been Pwned, originating from a recent FBI submission. This vast batch of credentials was compiled by a single individual, gathering data from various online sources including dark web marketplaces and malware. The FBI's ongoing collaboration with the data breach tracking website has yielded significant results over the past four years.
This latest infodump reveals that 46 million of the passwords were new to the database, a concerning figure representing previously unexposed accounts vulnerable to attack. This underscores the escalating scale of cyber threats and the continuous efforts required for defense against data theft. The remaining passwords, while known, highlight the persistent issue of credential reuse and recirculation.
The partnership between the FBI and Have I Been Pwned has seen explosive growth in usage. Monthly searches on the platform have increased from an average of 1.6 billion to over 17.45 billion in recent times. This surge emphasizes the growing user awareness and proactive measures taken to protect online identities.
