After a misinterpretation of an interview with a security researcher, several media outlets hinted at a major Gmail breach.
Reporters claimed the incident took place in April. In reality, the researcher had said there was an enormous amount of Gmail usernames and passwords circulating on the dark web.
Those are two very different things. The credentials probably stem from a great many past attacks and breaches over the years.
But the rumors spread quickly—enough that Google felt it had to deny that their Gmail systems had suffered a breach.
“The inaccurate reports are stemming from a misunderstanding of infostealer databases, which routinely compile various credential theft activity occurring across the web. It’s not reflective of a new attack aimed at any one person, tool, or platform.”
What happens is that cybercriminals buy and sell databases containing stolen usernames and passwords from data breaches, information stealers, and phishing campaigns. They do this to expand their reach or combine data from different sources to create more targeted attacks.
The downside for them is that many of these credentials are outdated, invalid, or linked to accounts that are no longer in use.
The downside for everyone else is that misleading reporting like this causes panic where there’s no need for it—whether it stems from misunderstanding technical details or from the pressure to make a headline.
Still, it’s always smart to check whether your email address has been caught up in a breach.
You can use our Digital Footprint scanner to see if your personal information is exposed online and take steps to secure it. If you find any passwords that you still use, change them immediately and enable multi-factor authentication (2FA) for those accounts wherever possible.
We don’t just report on data privacy—we help you remove your personal information
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. With Malwarebytes Personal Data Remover, you can scan to find out which sites are exposing your personal information, and then delete that sensitive data from the internet.