Security experts identified over 140,000 compromised passwords linked to accounts on hacker forums after their owners were infected with data-stealing malware.
Hudson Rock searched its cybercrime intelligence database for infected computers with credentials connected with the top 100 cybercrime sites. It discovered 120,000 identical computers, claiming that many of them belonged to hackers.
When a machine is infected with information-stealing malware, a “substantial” amount of data, including emails and account usernames, auto-fill data containing personal information such as addresses and phone numbers, and system information such as IP addresses, can be retrieved, security firm explained.
“Info-stealer infections as a cybercrime trend surged by an incredible 6000% since 2018, positioning them as the primary initial attack vector used by threat actors to infiltrate organisations and execute cyber-attacks, including ransomware, data breaches, account overtakes, and corporate espionage,” the company added.