Historic Data Breach: 26 Billion Records Leaked
News|by Leanne Bevan|23 January 2024
Has your data been breached?
Bob Dyachenko, a cyber security researcher and owner at SecurityDiscovery.com, together with the Cybernews team, has discovered billions of exposed records on an open instance. Unfortunately, the owner is unlikely ever to be identified.
This is thought to be one of the biggest data breaches to date.
The impact of this massive data breach could be unprecedented. Since many people reuse usernames and passwords, malicious actors could embark on a surge of credential-stuffing attacks.
Read more about the breach in this Cybernews article.
What does the breach mean for you?
First of all, change your password for all the affected sites mentioned above. As soon as possible. And keep your eye out for any suspicious behaviour.
You can check if your data was exposed in historic data breaches using the Cybernews data leak checker.
We’ll keep updating this blog with more information as and when we learn more.
Our cyber security recommendations
To protect your data going forward, we recommend you do the following both as an individual and as a business:
- Invest in a secure password manager to collate and create all your passwords securely – at Grey Matter, we offer Passwordstate, Keeper, and OnePassword.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to make it harder for hackers to get to your information – get in touch with us to discuss our options – Microsoft, ESET, and Sophos.
- Implement comprehensive cyber security awareness training to train staff on how to look out for phishing, password best practices, and more – at Grey Matter, we offer KnowBe4.
- Get a pen test and/or cyber security health check to see how secure your current infrastructure is – we can arrange a call with our partner Secure Impact to discuss these services further with you.
- Implement other security solutions you should have in place for multi-layered protection – endpoint security, patch management, and other security software.
Our team of cyber security solutions specialists are here to support you. Fill in the form now to arrange a consultation now.
Contact Grey Matter
If you have any questions or want some extra information, complete the form below and one of the team will be in touch ASAP. If you have a specific use case, please let us know and we'll help you find the right solution faster.
By submitting this form you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Website Terms of Use.
Leanne Bevan
Related News
Cyber Assessment Framework
What is the Cyber Assessment framework? The Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF), developed by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), is a structured approach designed to help you assess and improve your cyber resilience, particularly if you’re responsible for critical...
Design Smarter, Not Harder: What’s New in Adobe Creative Cloud
In May 2025, Adobe Creative Cloud rolled out powerful updates across its suite of tools, with a strong focus on AI-driven creativity, speed, and collaboration. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), these updates aren’t just bells and whistles-they’re game-changers that...
Readying your cloud migration: operating models and Azure landing zones
Learn how to migrate to the cloud in episode five of our Azure series. Previously, we covered the why and what of your migration and walked you through some helpful tools to help you understand the cost of your migration....
Grey Matter celebrates double win at ESET UK Partner Awards
Recognition for our partnership engagement at the ESET UK Partner Awards We are thrilled to announce that we have been named Engagement Partner of the Year at the ESET UK Partner Awards 2025. This recognition highlights our unwavering commitment to...