The original source of the report, Cybernews, says that since the start of the year, its researchers have “discovered 30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each.

“This is not just a leak—it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation,” researchers said. “With over 16 billion login records exposed, cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing.”

The file was completely exposed - no encryption, no password protection, no security - just a plain text document containing millions of sensitive data entries.