Hotmail Users Targeted in the 645 Hotmail Hits Record Dump

HEROIC analysts identified a combolist file circulating on Telegram named “645 HOTMAIL HITS.” The file surfaced on August 24, 2025 and contains 645 records pairing login credentials with plaintext passwords, along with the URLs of the sites each login was meant to unlock. The word “hits” in the file's name is underground shorthand for logins the uploader claims have already been tested and confirmed to work against Hotmail's login page.

Why Confirmed 'Hits' Are More Dangerous

A file labeled as confirmed “hits” is more immediately dangerous than an unverified list, since it implies a working success rate rather than a stale, unchecked batch. Because every password in this file is stored in plaintext, anyone who downloads the list can read and use each credential immediately, with no cracking or decrypting required. Combined with the target URLs included in the file, an attacker does not need to guess where to try a stolen login. The file tells them exactly where to go.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses tied to the accounts in this file, usable to identify and target victims directly.
• Plaintext passwords, stored and shared with no encryption, meaning anyone who obtains the file can read them instantly.
• URLs showing exactly which site or service each credential pair unlocks, making it trivial for an attacker to know where to try each login.

Why This Matters for Hotmail Account Holders

Hotmail and its modern successor, Outlook.com, are often tied to password resets for other services, so a compromised Hotmail login can open doors well beyond email. The core risk with any combolist is credential stuffing: automated tools that take every email and password pair and try it against dozens of popular websites in seconds. If you have ever reused a password across more than one account, and most people have, a single leaked line here can lead to a compromised email account, drained loyalty points, hijacked social media, or worse.

How 'Hits' Files Differ From Ordinary Combolists

Rather than the result of one company's breach, a combolist is an aggregation of credentials scraped together from multiple sources: prior data breaches, phishing pages, and malware-infected computers. These files circulate on Telegram and similar platforms, often labeled by size, date, or target audience to help buyers find what they want quickly.

Once in the wrong hands, a combolist becomes fuel for credential stuffing, an automated process where bots attempt every email and password pair against a wide range of websites. Because password reuse is so common, even a modest combolist can lead to a wave of account takeovers.

Check If You Are Affected

The safest move after any exposure like this is to find out quickly whether your own information is part of it. HEROIC's free breach scanner checks your email address against a database of more than 400 billion breached and leaked records, including combolists, stealer logs, and other underground dumps like this one. If a match turns up, change the affected password immediately, enable multi-factor authentication wherever it is offered, and avoid reusing that password anywhere else.