13,005 Passwords From the Austria 3 Combolist Hit the Dark Web

In February 2023, HEROIC analysts identified a combolist circulating on Telegram under the name "Austria 3." The file contained 13,005 records pairing email addresses with plaintext passwords, along with the URLs those credentials were meant to unlock.

Why This Is Dangerous

Combolists like this one hand attackers a ready-made list of working login pairs. Because the passwords are stored in plaintext rather than hashed or encrypted, anyone who gets a copy can use them immediately, no cracking required. That makes this kind of file especially attractive to low-skill attackers running automated login attempts across dozens of websites at once.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses
• Plaintext passwords
• URLs tied to each credential pair

Why This Matters

The biggest risk from a leak like this is credential stuffing: attackers take the email and password pairs and try them against banking sites, email providers, and social media platforms, betting that people reuse the same password everywhere. If even one password in this file matches a password you still use elsewhere, that account is at risk of takeover.

How Combolists Work

A combolist is simply a text file of "combo" pairs, an email or username matched to a password. Unlike a breach of a single company, combolists are usually stitched together from older leaks, stealer logs, and phishing hauls, then cleaned up and re-packaged for resale or free distribution on Telegram and hacking forums. The "Austria 3" combolist follows this pattern: a compiled batch of credential pairs with no single corporate source, built for volume rather than precision.

Check If You Are Affected

HEROIC's free breach scanner checks your email address against a database of more than 400 billion leaked records, including combolists like this one. Run a free scan to find out if your credentials appear in this or any other leak, and get guidance on securing the accounts at risk.