166,769 Yahoo Logins Exposed in Telegram Stealer Log Dump

In May 2023, a file labeled "174k Yahoo base" surfaced on a Telegram channel used to distribute stolen login data. Once verified, the file contained 166,769 individual records, each pairing an email address with a plaintext password and the URL of the site the credentials were used on. This is not a breach of Yahoo's own systems. It is a stealer log, a collection of credentials pulled directly off devices that were already infected with information-stealing malware.

Why This Yahoo-Linked Leak Is Dangerous

What makes this dataset especially risky is the password format. Every password in the file was stored and shared in plaintext, meaning anyone who gets hold of the log can read the actual password rather than a scrambled hash. Combined with the matching email address and the URL showing where that login was used, an attacker has everything needed to log in immediately, with no cracking or guessing required.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses
• Plaintext passwords
• URLs of the sites each login was used on

Why This Matters

People reuse passwords far more often than they realize. If your Yahoo password shows up in this log and you use that same password anywhere else, including banking, email recovery, or work accounts, every one of those accounts is now at risk. Criminals feed logs like this into automated tools that test the same email and password pair against hundreds of other websites in minutes, a technique known as credential stuffing. From there it is a short path to account takeover, identity theft, or direct financial fraud.

How a Stealer Log Like This Gets Created

Stealer logs come from infostealer malware, malicious software that quietly installs itself on a victim's computer, often bundled inside a pirated program, a fake software crack, or a malicious download. Once running, it scans the browser's saved passwords, autofill data, and active login sessions, then quietly uploads everything it finds back to the attacker. That stolen data is packaged into a log file and sold or given away on Telegram channels and dark web forums, exactly how this Yahoo-linked file made its way online.

Check If You Are Affected

Because stealer logs get resold and recombined constantly, the safest move is to check your own exposure directly rather than assume you are not on the list. HEROIC's free breach scanner searches a database of more than 400 billion leaked records, including stealer logs like this one, to tell you instantly whether your email address has been exposed. If it has, change the affected password right away and anywhere else you reused it, and turn on multi-factor authentication wherever it is offered.