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 team 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.
Author
Leanne Bevan
Vendor Marketing Manager at Grey Matter
Leanne has been part of our team for over a decade, and has worked as a vendor marketing manager for a number of our key vendors. Now with a keen focus on cyber security as well as developer technologies, Leanne continues to manage marketing across several vendors, including Embarcadero, Acronis, ESET, and more.
Related News
AI, ambition and advocacy: A conversation with Microsoft’s Rakhi Sachdeva
In this bonus episode of Grey Matter Talks Tech, host Leanne Bevan speaks with Rakhi Sachdeva from Microsoft about her career journey, the moments that shaped her leadership style and what it takes to build confidence in a fast-changing industry....
What CrowdStrike’s 2026 Threat Hunting Report means for your security strategy
Cyber threats are evolving and accelerating at quite a pace. According to CrowdStrike’s 2026 Threat Hunting Report, attackers are becoming faster, more connected and increasingly adept at exploiting the trusted systems businesses depend on every day. Rather than relying solely...
ManageEngine sponsors Tech Summit 2026
We’re delighted to welcome ManageEngine as a sponsor for our Tech Summit 2026 – our annual event for developers, ISVs and SaaS providers. Join us on 23 September 2026 at Prospero House in London for practical sessions covering AI agents, security,...
Paessler sponsors Tech Summit 2026
We’re excited to welcome Paessler as a sponsor at this year’s Tech Summit event – bringing its expertise in network monitoring and IT infrastructure management to our annual event for SaaS providers, ISVs and software developers. Join industry experts to...