Hotmail_hits Uploaded by a Telegram User: 39 Plaintext Passwords Leaked

In July 2026, HEROIC analysts identified a combolist named "hotmail_hits" circulating on Telegram that exposed 39 records containing email addresses, plaintext passwords, and the URLs tied to each account. The file was uploaded directly by a Telegram user, a common route for small batches of stolen credentials to spread before they are picked up by larger criminal networks.

Why This Is Dangerous

Every password in this file is stored in plaintext, meaning there is no encryption to break before an attacker can use it. Combined with the account URL for each entry, this small file hands an attacker a ready-made list of working logins tied specifically to Hotmail and related webmail accounts, with no extra effort required to make use of them.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses
• Plaintext passwords
• URLs linked to each account

Why This Matters

A list of only 39 records might look insignificant next to breaches involving millions of accounts, but the risk to each individual is identical. If any of these email and password pairs are reused on other sites, they open the door to credential stuffing, account takeover, and identity theft. Email accounts in particular are high value targets because they are often used to reset passwords for banking, shopping, and social media accounts.

How This Combolist Was Built

A combolist like hotmail_hits is created by pulling email and password pairs from smaller sources, such as phishing pages, malware logs, or older leaks, and combining them into a single text file, usually labeled with the email provider it targets. Telegram channels make it easy to upload and share these files quickly, which is why small, targeted lists like this one continue to appear alongside larger breach dumps.

Check If You Are Affected

If you use a Hotmail or Outlook address with a password you have reused elsewhere, it is worth checking now. HEROIC's free breach scanner searches a database of more than 400 billion leaked records to show you whether your email and credentials appear in this leak or any other, so you can secure your accounts before someone else logs in first.