Analysts Confirm 429 Hotmail Logins Leaked in Telegram Combolist

HEROIC Analysts Trace a Third Hotmail Combolist to the Same Telegram Source

On December 15, 2024, HEROIC analysts logged a third combolist from the same Telegram user, this one containing 429 records of email addresses, plaintext passwords, and associated URLs. The consistent pattern across these uploads suggests an active operator repeatedly harvesting and redistributing Hotmail credentials in small, easily digestible batches.

Why This Is Dangerous

Small batch size does not mean small risk. Each of these 429 lines contains a fully usable login, an email address matched to its actual plaintext password. An attacker does not need to break any encryption or run a cracking tool, they simply copy and paste the credentials directly into a login form and gain immediate access to the victim's inbox.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses (Hotmail/Outlook accounts)
• Plaintext passwords
• Associated URLs

Why This Matters

Attackers rarely stop at one account. Once inside a Hotmail inbox, they can search for password reset emails, banking notifications, and other personal information that enables credential stuffing across multiple platforms, account takeover, identity theft, and financial fraud. Reused passwords are the single biggest multiplier of damage from a leak this size.

How Combolists Work

A combolist is a structured text file of paired login credentials, typically compiled from stealer logs, phishing kits, or older breaches and then packaged for quick resale or free distribution on platforms like Telegram. Their value to attackers lies in their simplicity, no technical expertise is needed, only a list of target sites and basic automation software to attempt each login.

Check If You Are Affected

If you use a Hotmail or Outlook account, take a moment to check whether your credentials appear in this or any other leak. HEROIC's free breach scanner searches more than 400 billion leaked records in seconds, so you can confirm your exposure and secure your account before it is misused.