26 billion data records leaked from LinkedIn, X

New Delhi: Cybersecurity researchers have warned that a database containing over 26 billion leaked data records has been discovered, which include users’ data from LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, Weibo, Tencent, and other major platforms.

The researchers referred to this massive data leak as the ‘Mother of All Breaches’ (MOAB), saying it was the biggest data leak found to date. This data leak, which contains 12-terabytes (TB) of information, was discovered by security researchers from Security Discovery and Cybernews.

The researchers claimed that while the majority of the data in the stolen dataset comes from previous data breaches, it most likely contains previously unpublished new material as well.

The leaked data includes more than just login credentials. Much of the leaked data is ‘sensitive’, making it ‘valuable for malicious actors’, according to the report.

There are 3,800 files in the MOAB that hold 26 billion records total, with each folder representing a different data breach.