National Cyber Emergency Response Team of Pakistan has urged all citizens to change their social media and online account passwords following a massive global data breach. The breach has compromised more than 184 million unique account credentials, putting individuals and organizations in Pakistan at serious risk.
The exposed data was found in an unprotected online database and includes usernames, passwords, emails, and website links. The leaked information is tied to widely used platforms such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, along with government websites, banking systems, and healthcare services.
Impact
According to the advisory, the leaked credentials could be used for credential stuffing attacks, where hackers try the same password on different websites. Other threats include account takeovers, identity theft, ransomware attacks, and scams through phishing or social engineering.
The risk extends to critical sectors in Pakistan, with the potential to disrupt personal, financial, and government services. Hackers may use the information to impersonate users, hijack accounts, or carry out cyber espionage.
Threat Details
The advisory says the data came from malware called an “infostealer,” which collects login details from infected devices. The stolen information was stored in plain text without any protection.
The breach is easy to exploit, requiring no special access or user action to retrieve the data. It is classified as a data breach, credential theft, and malware dump, and is considered high risk.
Exploit Conditions
According to the advisory, attackers may exploit the leaked data through credential stuffing across multiple services, phishing using personal email data, and targeted social engineering. The advisory also warns that email and password combinations can be used for unauthorized account access or to deploy malware.
The exposure of Pakistani users to these threats is made worse by the common practice of reusing passwords and the limited use of multi-factor authentication.
Recommendations and Mitigation Actions
The advisory urges immediate action. All users should change their passwords—especially if they reuse the same ones on multiple sites—and turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for important accounts like banking and email.
Organizations should check if their internal accounts were part of the breach and notify affected users. People are also advised to use strong, unique passwords, avoid storing them in emails or unsecured files, and consider using a password manager.
To protect systems, organizations should rotate passwords at least once a year, limit user access to only what’s necessary, and train staff on how to spot phishing attempts. It’s also important to monitor email activity, update security software regularly, and apply strict rules for using cloud storage.
