Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler uncovered a massive data breach in May 2025, exposing over 184 million records with email addresses, passwords, and login links in plain text. Major platforms like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft were affected, along with government and financial services (1).

The breach, which Fowler couldn’t trace back to its source, poses a significant risk for individual accounts. Hundreds of compromised accounts from major platforms like Netflix, PayPal, Amazon, and Apple were identified in a sample of 10,000 records, raising concerns about fraud, identity theft, and national security (2).

The breach highlights the evolving and expanding scale of cyberattacks, as even publications like Wired have been targeted. Wired and its parent company Condé Nast experienced a breach in December 2025, exposing millions of email addresses, names, addresses, and phone numbers. This highlights the vulnerability of even large companies to cyber threats (3).

To protect yourself from such breaches, experts recommend changing passwords regularly, using unique passwords for each account, and enabling multi-factor authentication. Other steps include freezing credit files, using tools like Google’s Password Checkup, and signing up for transaction alerts from credit card providers. Vigilance and proactive measures can safeguard your personal information online (4).

Read more at Yahoo Finance: A 2025 security breach exposed over 184 million private passwords. How to stay safe while you browse