16 billion passwords leaked in Google, Facebook, Apple massive data breach: What we know
FILE-A woman browses the Google website on her laptop. (Photo Illustration by Serene Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A massive data breach resulted in 16 billion passwords to Google, Facebook, Apple, and other social media accounts being leaked in what is considered one of the largest in U.S. history.
Forbes reported that the leaked exposed login credentials and passwords, and Google notified its users to change their passwords and FBI officials to alert Americans not to open suspicious links in SMS messages.
What caused the data breach?
Why you should care:
Researchers at Cybernews, an independent media outlet covering cybersecurity and information news, reported that they discovered over 30 datasets, each containing billions of logins to social media, VPNs, and user accounts for major tech companies like Apple and Google, had been left exposed by infostealers.
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Newsweek reported that it has not yet been confirmed which organizations originally owned most of the datasets in the breach, making it difficult to identify whose passwords have been affected.
According to Forbes, Cybernews researchers have been watching the exposed datasets since the start of 2025. Vilius Petkauskas of Cybernews explained to Forbes that their team has found "30 exposed datasets containing tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each."
Newsweek noted that criminals who obtain access to passwords will sell them on the dark web and are able to use them for identity theft, fraud, and even extortion.
How can I protect my passwords?
What you can do:
A few effective ways to protect your personal information online is to update old passwords, strengthen your password security using password managers, and create multi-factor authentication when logging in to your computer.
Newsweek noted that companies can also protect their sensitive data by auditing access controls and monitoring for credential leaks.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Forbes, Newsweek, and Cybernews. Forbes received comments from a Cybernews researcher about the data breach. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.