16 BILLION Passwords Just Leaked, Who Is Affected In Idaho?

We've all heard of data leaks at one point or another, and as crummy as they may be, they're typically manageable for both major companies and us consumers.

However, one recent report of a data breach might just be big enough to send shivers down our freaking spines!

16 BILLION Passwords Have Been Leaked: Who Is Affected?

According to a report from Forbes, researchers confirmed "the largest data breach ever" with 16 billion login credentials stolen... so yeah, someone probably knows how to log into at least one account that you have.

Experts believe that among the 16 billion credentials stolen, a majority of them include info from users of Facebook, Apple, Google, VPNs, vendor accounts, and several other major platforms.

ALSO READ: Boise's Population Is Officially On The Decline

"This is not just a leak – it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation,” the researchers said in a report from Forbes.

“These aren’t just old breaches being recycled,” they warned, “this is fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale.”

Pretty frightening, huh?

What Can We Do About This Major Leak?

Well, for starters, we should all probably go and change our passwords immediately.

Secondly, do your best to avoid clicking anything sketchy, whether it be a link in a text message, weird links in comment sections, or any funky-looking URLs.

Experts say that a majority of the data theft occurred through various URL formats that trick people into sharing their login info. In some cases, people might not even realize they're sharing their info with thieves through deception on various "login pages."