Your Passwords May Be Exposed. The US 25 Telegram Log Has 38 Records.

In May 2023, a Telegram user uploaded a stealer log file exposing 38 records belonging to individuals in the United States. The file, identified in HEROIC's database as the US 25 Telegram upload, contained email addresses, plaintext passwords, and URLs collected from infected endpoints. While 38 records is a small number, each one represents a real person whose login credentials were silently harvested by malware running on their own device. There was no company breach, no server hack. The attack happend on the victims' own machines.

Why This Is Dangerous

Stealer logs are not like traditional database breaches. The data in this file was pulled directly from victims' computers by infostealer malware, meaning attackers already had a foothold on the device when these credentials were collected. Every URL in the log tells an attacker exactly which websites each victim used. Every email and password pair gives them a direct key to try on those sites. Because the passwords are stored in plaintext, no cracking is required. An attacker can open this file and begin testing credentials immedietly against live accounts across banking, email, and workplace platforms.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses tied to victim accounts and online logins
• Plaintext passwords stored in readable form with no encryption or hashing
• URLs revealing the exact websites and services each victim was actively using

Why This Matters

When email addresses and plaintext passwords are combined with the URLs of specific sites, attackers have everything they need to access a victim's online accounts directly. This combination fuels credential stuffing attacks, where automated tools test stolen logins across dozens of popular platforms in minutes. Email account takeovers can trigger password resets on banking, shopping, and social media accounts. Financial fraud is a direct risk if any of the exposed URLs belong to payment platforms or financial services. Even if you changed your password since May 2023, your old credentials may still circulate in private Telegram channels and hacker forums, getting resold to new threat actors.

How Stealer Logs Work

A stealer log breach does not start with a hacked server. It starts on your device. Infostealer malware runs quietly in the background after a victim installs it unknowingly, typically through cracked software downloads, malicious email attachments, or fake browser extensions. Once installed, the malware scans the device for saved passwords, browser cookies, autofill data, and active login sessions. It then packages everything into a log file and transmits it to an attacker-controlled server or a Telegram channel where it is shared or sold. The entire process can occure in minutes, and the victim typically has no indication anything went wrong. Telegram has become a popular distribusion channel for stealer logs because it allows near-anonymous sharing with large audiences at no cost to the attacker.

Check If You Are Affected

HEROIC maintains one of the largest breach databases in the world, with over 400 billion records indexed from thousands of data breaches, stealer logs, and dark web sources. If your email address appeared in the US 25 Telegram upload or any other known breach, HEROIC's free scanner will find it. Searching takes seconds and costs nothing. If you find a match, change that password immediately on every account where you used it, enable two-factor authentication on your email and financial accounts, and use a password manager to ensure unique credentials across every site you access.