One of the largest collections of passwords ever leaked today: the file, titled RockYou2024.txt, contains 9,948,575,739 unique plain-text passwords. The file was posted by a forum user calling himself "ObamaCare."

As reported by Cybernews (via TechTadar), the RockYou2024.txt file contains passwords stolen in attacks old and new: Three years ago, the RockYou2021 password collection exposed 8.4 billion plain-text passwords. Today's leak adds another 1.5 billion passwords.

Like many data breaches, the RockYou2024 database allows potential criminals to conduct brute force attacks and gain unauthorized access to online accounts exposed in the breach.

Brute force is a technique used by hackers to crack passwords, creating programs that automatically try every combination of letters and numbers; a simple password like "1234" can be cracked within seconds with a basic brute force attack.

In addition, the RockYou2024 leak may also make it easier for attackers to use a technique called credential stuffing. Credential stuffing is a type of brute force password attack that takes advantage of people reusing login information, also known as password reuse.

In a credential stuffing attack, cybercriminals obtain usernames and passwords that have been compromised in a data breach and begin plugging them into other websites with the goal of gaining access to insecure accounts.

This is similar to a brute force attack in that cybercriminals try multiple credentials on multiple accounts. Fortunately, there are several measures you can take now to protect yourself.

No one wants their passwords exposed online. Fortunately, Cybernews has created its own data breach checker to see if your credentials have been compromised. Similarly, the popular data leak site HaveIBeenPwned can show you if your records have been leaked.

One of the biggest steps you can take to protect yourself in the future is to always use strong, complex, and unique passwords for all your online accounts. You can come up with your own passwords, but the best password managers can do this for you and store them safely in one place. Likewise, the best identity theft protection services come in handy when you need to recover stolen identities or money lost through fraud.