The Hits File From July 2021: A Small Batch of 279 Exposed Logins

A second file bearing the same generic name, Hits, surfaced with a different date stamp: 03 Jul 2021. HEROIC analysts logged this combolist separately from the December 2021 file also using the label, since the two do not share the same records. This smaller batch holds 279 email and plaintext password pairs, compiled for credential stuffing rather than pulled from a single source. Scan your email to check whether your address is one of the 279.

Why a Small File Still Deserves a Look

279 records won't make headlines, but scale doesn't determine risk for the person whose credentials are in the file. If your email and password are among them, the file being small changes nothing about what an attacker can do with a working login.

What's Inside This July 2021 Hits File

• Email addresses: the account each password is paired with.
• Plaintext passwords: stored as readable text, ready to use without cracking.
• URLs: the login page tied to each credential pair.

What Happens Next If You're Exposed

An attacker working through a combolist like this tests each pair against other services, betting on password reuse. A hit anywhere else, especially email or financial accounts, opens the door to account takeover well beyond wherever the credentials were first captured.

How This Combolist Was Likely Built

Combolists like this one are put together by collecting email and password pairs from prior leaks and stealer logs and combining them into a single file for testing logins across many sites. That's different from a stealer log, which comes straight from one infected device.

Checking the July 2021 Hits File for Your Email

Run a free scan your email to see if your address turns up. If it does, change that password everywhere it's been reused, not just on the account tied to this file, and set a unique password for each site going forward. Check both personal and work email addresses, since this file doesn't distinguish between them.