Billions of login credentials have been leaked and compiled into datasets online, giving criminals "unprecedented access" to accounts, according to new research from a cybersecurity publication.
The research from Cybernews revealed that a total of 16 billion credentials were compromised, including user passwords for Google, Facebook and Apple.
The report said the 30 exposed datasets each contained a vast amount of login information and the leaked information did not span from a single source, such as one breach targeting a company.
Instead, it appears that the data was stolen through multiple events over time and then compiled and briefly exposed publicly, which is when Cybernews reports that its researchers discovered it.
Various infostealers were most likely the culprit, Cybernews noted.
Infostealers are a form of malicious software that breach a victim's device or systems to take sensitive information.
Many questions remain about these leaked credentials, including whose hands the login credentials are in now.
Sixteen billion is roughly double the amount of people on Earth today, signalling that impacted consumers may have had credentials for more than one account leaked.
Cybernews also noted that there were most certainly duplicates in the data and so "it's impossible to tell how many people or accounts were actually exposed".
As more information comes to light, experts continue to stress the importance of maintaining key "cyber hygiene."
Some things you can do to prevent your data from being exposed include changing your password — and avoiding using the same or similar login credentials on multiple sites.
Password managers or pass keys exist if you find it too hard to memorise all your different passwords.
Multi-factor authentication can also serve as a second layer of verification through your phone, email or a USB authenticator key.
