242 Hotmail Accounts Leaked in High Quality Combo List

A Small but Verified Hotmail Leak

HEROIC analysts found a file called "242x HQ Hotmail" posted to Telegram on June 6, 2026. It is a small but confirmed leak of 242 Hotmail email addresses, each paired with a plaintext password and the login URL it was used with.

Why This Is Dangerous

The "HQ," or high quality, label means the person who compiled this list has already verified that the passwords work. Even though the number of accounts is small, every single one is a ready-to-use login, meaning there is no cracking, guessing, or extra effort required for someone to break in.

What Was Exposed

• Hotmail email addresses
• Plaintext passwords
• Associated login URLs

Why This Matters

Even a small, targeted list like this one carries real risk for the people in it. A working Hotmail login can be used to read private messages, reset passwords on other linked accounts, or attempt credential stuffing against banking and shopping sites if the same password was reused elsewhere. Account takeover of an email address is often the first step toward much bigger fraud.

How "HQ" Stealer Log Lists Are Made

High quality combo lists are typically curated from larger batches of information-stealer malware logs. Sellers manually or automatically test each login and remove the ones that no longer work, keeping only the accounts confirmed to be currently active, which is what earns the "HQ" label and makes small lists like this one especially dangerous despite their size.

Check If You Are Affected

If you use a Hotmail or Outlook account, take a minute to check whether it was part of this leak. HEROIC's free breach scanner searches over 400 billion exposed records, including small verified combo lists like this one.