376,376 Plaintext Passwords Were Just Dumped on Telegram

In April 2023, a stealer log collection labeled Yahoo New 0608 was uploaded to a public Telegram channel. HEROIC analysts confirmed the file contains 376,376 individual records, each pairing an email address with a plaintext password and the URL of the service where the credentials were used. The sheer volume of this dump places it among the larger stealer log distributions observed on Telegram.

Every one of these 376,376 records represents a real person whose device was infected by malware. The credentials were silently extracted and packaged for distribution, and they are now freely available to anyone who knows where to look.

Why Plaintext Passwords Are a Gift to Attackers

When passwords are exposed in plaintext, attackers face zero friction. There is no decryption step, no hash to crack, and no computational cost to bear. Each password is immediately usable, exactly as the victim originally typed it. For 376,376 accounts, this means 376,376 potential break-ins that require nothing more than a copy and paste.

This stands in stark contrast to breaches where passwords are hashed or salted. In those cases, attackers must invest significant resources to recover even a fraction of the credentials. Plaintext exposure removes every technical obstacle, leaving only the speed at which an attacker can test logins.

What Was Exposed in the Yahoo New 0608 Dump

• Email Addresses — Used as the primary login identifier for most online services, making them the starting point for account takeover attempts.
• Plaintext Passwords — Unencrypted, readable passwords lifted directly from infected devices, ready for immediate misuse.
• URLs — The exact login pages and services where each credential was entered, mapping out which platforms are directly affected.

Why 376,376 Records Create a Massive Attack Surface

At this scale, attackers do not manually test credentials. Automated credential stuffing tools can cycle through hundreds of thousands of email-and-password combinations in hours, testing each pair against banking sites, email providers, cloud storage platforms, and social media networks.

Studies consistently show that over 60 percent of users reuse passwords across multiple services. Applied to a dataset of 376,376 records, that means potentially hundreds of thousands of additional accounts are vulnerable beyond the ones directly listed in the dump.

The URLs included in the file make this process even more targeted. Attackers can prioritize high-value targets, such as financial institutions and email providers, and work outward from there to compromise linked accounts.

How Stealer Logs Fuel the Underground Credential Economy

Infostealer malware is typically distributed through phishing campaigns, trojanized software downloads, and malicious browser extensions. Once it infects a device, the malware quietly harvests saved credentials from web browsers, email clients, and other applications, then transmits the stolen data to a remote server.

These individual log files are aggregated into massive compilations and shared across Telegram channels and dark web marketplaces. The Yahoo New 0608 file is one node in this broader ecosystem, where fresh credentials are treated as a tradable commodity.

Because infostealers capture data in real time, the credentials in these logs are often current. Victims may have no idea their device was compromised, continuing to use the same passwords across their accounts while attackers already have full access.

Check If Your Credentials Appear in This Leak

HEROIC has indexed the Yahoo New 0608 stealer log in its breach database. Use HEROIC's free breach scanner to search more than 400 billion compromised records and determine whether your email address or password was included in this or any other data breach.

If you discover your credentials in this dataset, take action immediately. Reset your passwords on all affected accounts, prioritizing email and financial services. Turn on two-factor authentication to add a layer of defense that a stolen password alone cannot bypass.