Islamabad: In a concerning development, over 180 million digital users worldwide have reportedly had their account passwords and sensitive information stolen in a massive data breach. Pakistan’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has issued an official advisory urging users to immediately change their passwords.
The advisory highlights that user data from major platforms including Google, Facebook, Apple, Instagram, Snapchat, and various government portals has been compromised. The breach has been linked to the Infostealer malware, which extracts login credentials and other sensitive data from infected systems.
The advisory warns of potential threats such as identity theft, account hacking, and ransomware attacks. It further states that government institutions and financial accounts may also be at risk.
CERT has strongly recommended enabling two-step verification (2FA) across all user accounts and cautioned against storing passwords in emails or unsecured files. Users are also advised to keep their antivirus and security software updated and to closely monitor any unusual login activities.
The advisory concludes by stressing that the only effective response lies in robust security measures, heightened awareness, and proactive monitoring. Failure to act swiftly could pose serious threats to the national digital infrastructure.
Pakistan’s cybersecurity authorities have called for immediate action to mitigate the potential fallout of this extensive data leak.
