Dark Web Intel: 3,696 Credentials From the 396PCS Free Logs Drop

On June 4, 2023, HEROIC's DarkHive dark web intelligence platform detected a Telegram upload labeled "396PCS - FREE LOGS" -- 396 individual stealer log files distributed at no cost across underground channels. The complete package exposed 3,696 stolen records including email addresses, plaintext passwords, and the URLs of targeted accounts. Free distributions like this one are a deliberate tactic used by threat actors to build credibility in criminal communities and atract buyers for larger paid batches. By giving away real stolen data, operators demonstraite the quality of their operation to potential customers while simultaneously crowdsourcing attacks against the victims in the file.

Why This Is Dangerous

A stealer log sold to one buyer exposes its victims to one attacker. A log given away for free exposes those same victims to everyone in a Telegram channel -- and dark web intelligence shows these channels routinely have thousands of active subscribers. When threat actors release 396 files of credentials at no cost, dozens or hundreds of operators with credential stuffing tools begin testing those 3,696 email and password combinations almost instantly. The attack surface for victims in a free drop is exponentially wider than in a private breach, and the speed of exploitation is significantly faster because there is no barrier to access.

What Was Exposed

• Email Addresses: 3,696 real email addresses extracted from infected user devices across 396 separate log files
• Plaintext Passwords: Unencrypted passwords captured directly by infostealer malware before any hashing or encryption
• URLs: The specific websites and login portals where each credential pair was stolen from the victim's browser

Why This Matters

Dark web intelligence consistently shows that free credential drops generate immediate, high-volume exploitation activity. For each of the 3,696 people in this file, their device had been silently compromised by infostealer malware, their passwords captured in real time, and those passwords then handed to an unknown number of criminal actors at zero cost. With no financial barrier preventing access, these credentials were tested against banking sites, email providers, and social media platforms by more attackers, faster, than in almost any other type of breach. Anyone who reused a password captured in this log remains at risk if they have not changed it.

How Stealer Log Attacks Work

Infostealer malware packages credentials by infected session -- each of the 396 log files in this drop came from a separate compromised device. Across those 396 machines, the malware captured an average of roughly nine credential pairs each, totaling 3,696 stolen records. Once packaged into files, the logs were uploaded to Telegram where anyone subscribed to the channel could download and run them through automated credential stuffing tools. The malware itself spreads through phishing emails, cracked software, fake browser updates, and malicious downloads -- infection leaves no visible trace on the victim's device.

Check If You Are Affected

HEROIC's free breach scanner searches more than 400 billion exposed records including free Telegram log distributions like this June 2023 upload. Our dark web intelligence team monitors hundreds of underground channels and indexes every credential file we detect. If your email address appears in this batch or any other breach in our database, you will receive an instant alert detailing what was exposed. Scan your email now and find out if your credentials were part of this giveaway before someone uses them against you.