Telegram File 05.12.2022 Leaks 18,572 Email Password Pairs

A file labeled 05.12.2022 was uploaded to a Telegram channel and turned out to contain 18,572 email and password pairs stored in plain text, each linked to the URL it was captured from. HEROIC analysts catalogued it after it began circulating, and its scale puts a large number of accounts at immediate risk. Anyone can check their own inclusion with a scan your email.

Why This Is Dangerous

At over 18,000 entries, this file is large enough to be run through automated credential stuffing tools without any manual review. Every password inside is plaintext, so attackers can start testing logins the moment the file changes hands, working through the whole list far faster than any person could type it in by hand.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses, giving attackers a confirmed target for each entry.
• Plaintext passwords, ready to use immediately with no cracking required.
• URLs, identifying exactly which service each pair was captured from.

Why This Matters

A file of this size spreads widely once it reaches resale channels, meaning the 18,572 people in it are likely to be tested by more than one attacker. Reused passwords compound the risk further, turning a single leaked login into access across email, banking, and shopping accounts.

How This Breach Type Works

This is a combolist, assembled by pulling matching email and password pairs out of many smaller leaks and infected devices, then merging them into a single large file. The label 05.12.2022 most likely reflects how the file was named by whoever compiled it, not a confirmed date the data itself was taken.

Could You Be One of the 18,572?

A quick scan your email will tell you if your address is included. If it is, change the password immediately, and check every other account using that same password, since a file this size gets tested broadly and fast. Work email deserves the same check as a personal inbox.