The Biggest Data Leak in History – June 2025

What happened

In June 2025, one of the largest cybersecurity incidents in history occurred. Researchers found that 16 billion user names and passwords, gathered over the years from multiple breaches, were published on the Internet. This “super-leak” is not from a single platform, but is the result of numerous attacks, leaks and malware that have targeted popular online services worldwide.

Affected platforms and types of data exposed

LinkedIn:

At the beginning of June, more than 6.5 million LinkedIn user passwords were posted on underground forums. Users who reuse passwords between different services are at increased risk of compromising accounts.

Aflac:

On June 12, the “Scattered Spider” cybercrime group managed to access sensitive data, including social security numbers, medical data and customer insurance renewal information.

Zoomcar:

On June 13, Zoomcar a leak that exposed data of 8.4 million users, including names, phone numbers, email addresses and user car details.

Great global credential leakage:

On June 20, researchers identified a huge collection of approximately 16 billion combinations of usernames and passwords. The data came from multiple sources, large platforms such as Gmail, Facebook, Apple,GitHub, Telegram, but also government services or banks. This collection was formed mainly by infostealer malware, used to steal credentials from browsers or apps.

UBS:

A separate incident affected the Swiss bank UBS, where internal data of more than 130,000 employees was exposed as a result of compromising an external provider. Internal names, email addresses and phone numbers were accessed. Although customers were not directly affected, the incident highlights supply chain vulnerabilities.

What data was compromised

• Usernames and passwords, sometimes stored clearly

• Emails, telephone numbers and personal addresses

• Medical or banking data

• Data from social networks, cloud services or professional platforms

How can you protect yourself

1. Change all important passwords and use different passwords for each account.

2. Enable two-step authentication (2FA) where possible.

3. Check if your email address has been compromised using services such as Have I Been Pwned.

4. Do not access links or download files from unknown sources.

5. Use a password manager to generate and store complex and unique passwords for each service.

6. Monitor your bank accounts and other online services for unusual activity.

Tabel recapitulativ

Additional Resources and References

• Business Insider – 16 Billion Leak

• Economic Times – Zoomcar Breach

• NY Post – Aflac Breach

Concluzie

The June 2025 incident demonstrates that no user or company is completely safe from the risks associated with data security. It is crucial to act preventively: use unique passwords, enable additional security measures and be constantly alert to possible signs of account compromise.

For increased security, we recommend using multi-factor authentication, a password manager, and online monitoring solutions for personal data.

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