The Hotmail_Hits 1 Leak Is Small, But All 74 Passwords Inside Are Real

What HEROIC Analysts Found in the Hotmail_Hits 1 Leak

On July 4, 2026, HEROIC analysts identified a combolist titled "hotmail_hits 1" after it was uploaded to a Telegram channel by an individual user. The file contains just 74 records, but each one pairs a Hotmail email address with a plaintext password and the URL of the login page it belongs to. The affected accounts are tied primarily to the United States.

Why This Is Dangerous

A file this small is easy to overlook, but the risk to the 74 people in it is identical to a much larger breach. The passwords are stored in plaintext, so anyone who gets a copy can log into these Hotmail accounts immediately, gaining access to personal emails, contacts, and any other account that uses the same recovery address.

What Was Exposed in the Hotmail_Hits 1 Combolist

• Email addresses
• Plaintext passwords
• URLs identifying the associated login pages

Why This Matters, Even for 74 Accounts

Compromised webmail logins are especially valuable to attackers because email is the recovery point for banking, shopping, and social media accounts. If any of the 74 people in this leak reused their Hotmail password elsewhere, or use that inbox to receive password reset links, one leaked credential can quickly turn into a full account takeover and open the door to identity theft.

How a File Like Hotmail_Hits 1 Gets Made

Small, targeted combolists like this one are usually built by filtering larger breach collections, phishing hauls, or malware logs down to a single email provider, in this case Hotmail. Once filtered, the file is renamed and shared in Telegram channels, where anyone can download it and start testing the credentials within minutes.

Check If You Are Affected

If you use a Hotmail account, it is worth checking whether your credentials appear in this leak or a larger one. HEROIC's free breach scanner searches a database of more than 400 billion leaked records, so you can quickly see your exposure and update any reused passwords.