An infamous dataset of leaked login details, updated last week, now houses 9,948,575,739 passwords and poses the biggest threat to our online security ever

SoftwareSecurityAn infamous dataset of leaked login details, updated last week, now houses 9,948,575,739 passwords and poses the biggest threat to our online security everWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: MF3d via Getty Images)

An image showing a rendering gold padlock against a digital background depicting technologies in security systems

Check your passwords, people, because if there was ever a good reason to not reuse the same password, or even variants of the same password, then the latest version of the RockYou collection of leaked or stolen passwords must surely be it. With almost10 billionunique passwords, the dataset is the largest source of genuine login details, from all around the world, making the risk of cyberattacks as high as it’s ever been.

It contained around 8.5 billion passwords, making it then the largest dataset of leaked login details since the3.2 billion COMB collectionin 2022. Now, RockYou2024 is larger still and holds just shy of 10 billion unique email addresses and passwords. Even if one accounts for the fact that every person who’s online will have multiple login accounts, the figure is sufficiently large enough to be of major concern.

The biggest danger the compilation poses is that the information can be used to increase the success ofcredential stuffing, a type of brute force attack that runs through multiple login attempts to gain access to an account. Not only does this put individuals at risk of identity theft, but it also increases the chances of the business hosting the online account from suffering a comprehensive data breach.

This information is then fed back into the RockYou dataset, making it increasingly more potent. Any decent cloud or hosting service will have mechanisms to combat brute force attacks but if a login appears genuine (because it’s using a valid email address and password), then there’s little the service can do to prevent access.

If this news comes across as being very alarming, then that’s a good thing. Because it means people are more likely to take action to prevent the situation from becoming worse.

If you’re wondering what exactly you should do, then here’s my advice. Never assume that any of your online accounts are safe andneveruse the same password for any of them—even variations of the same password are risky to use.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

I strongly recommend that you change your passwords now, using a combination of three words that you can easily remember, making sure to include numbers and special characters. For any account that offers it, also make sure you enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA).

Cybernews offers apassword checking serviceand you can use this to see if a specific password appears in the RockYou2024 dataset. It’s safe to do this because you’re not providing any other details, such as an email address, that would identify the password with a particular account. Even if one of your passwordsisn’tin the database, I still recommend that you add a layer of security to your online accounts. If it doesn’t offer one, then it’s even more important you change the password to a large and complex one right now.

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

Best gaming PCBest gaming laptop

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

More about security

A still from a YouTube video of Senator Mark Warner speaking

Telecoms hack on US government officials is ‘worst in nations history’ and ‘the barn door is still wide open’ says senator

HDMI cable

LatestLords of the Fallen studio embraces the DEI bugbear, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its gamesSee more latest►

Latest

Lords of the Fallen studio embraces the DEI bugbear, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

Lords of the Fallen (2023) promotional image - very large man with a very large hammer on a very large horse charging a very small man with a very small magic sword

Lords of the Fallen studio embraces the DEI bugbear, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

See more latest►

Most PopularSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anythingIf you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 offAMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fabI tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bayFinal Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their altsTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itMSI intros cheaper ‘back connect’ Project Zero Intel motherboards for super-clean PC builds you might actually be able to affordThermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectors

Most Popular

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

If you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 off

AMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fab

I tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bay

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

MSI intros cheaper ‘back connect’ Project Zero Intel motherboards for super-clean PC builds you might actually be able to afford

Thermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectors

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals