Recent online reports have claimed that more than 183 million Gmail accounts were compromised in a massive data breach. However, Google has officially denied these allegations, clarifying that no breach of Gmail’s internal systems has occurred.
The reported dataset, roughly 3.5 terabytes in size, surfaced on hacker forums and includes around 23 billion email and password combinations from multiple sources. Cybersecurity experts, including Troy Hunt of Have I Been Pwned, confirmed that most of this data originates from previous leaks and infostealer malware collections, not from Gmail itself. About 8% of the credentials were reportedly new, posing risks mainly to users who reuse passwords across sites.
Google issued a strong statement calling the reports “entirely inaccurate and incorrect,” assuring users that Gmail’s security remains uncompromised. The company urged users to enable two-step verification (2FA) or passkeys, regularly change passwords, and remain alert to phishing attempts that exploit stolen credentials.
Experts warn that while Gmail wasn’t directly hacked, such large-scale leaks increase the risk of credential-stuffing attacks—where hackers test stolen passwords across multiple services. Users are advised to check whether their accounts appear in breach databases like Have I Been Pwned.
The incident serves as a reminder that password hygiene and multi-factor authentication remain essential defenses, even when major platforms like Gmail are not directly breached.
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