Many users were shocked this week after several reports claimed that over 183 million Gmail passwords were leaked online. The number sounded serious, and people immediately started to worry that Gmail had been hacked. However, Google has officially denied these claims, saying that there was no breach in Gmail’s system.
The confusion started when Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) added a new database containing around 183 million email and password combinations. This data was shared by a security firm called Synthient, which said the information was collected from devices infected by infostealer malware and phishing attacks.
Since many of the leaked emails were Gmail accounts, some reports suggested that Gmail had been hacked. The news spread quickly across social media, and people started searching for ways to protect their accounts.
Google later confirmed that Gmail was not hacked. In an official statement on X (formerly Twitter), the company said:
Google explained that these leaked credentials came from third-party sources, not from a direct Gmail breach. They were old stolen passwords collected by malware or phishing scams over time.
The company also said it regularly checks for such leaks. If any Gmail account credentials are found in such databases, Google automatically asks users to reset their passwords and secure their accounts.
This was not a new hack. The leaked data was a mix of old stolen credentials gathered from various sources. Many of these passwords were likely reused across multiple websites. That is why Gmail addresses appeared in the leak, even though Gmail itself was not compromised.
This kind of confusion happens often. Whenever a big dataset with Gmail addresses appears online, people quickly assume that Gmail was hacked. In reality, it is usually a result of poor password hygiene and malware infections on user devices.
Even though Gmail was not hacked, users should still take this incident seriously. It is possible that your credentials are part of an old leak. Here are a few steps to stay safe:
- Visit Have I Been Pwned and check if your email address appears in the database.
- Change your password immediately if it does.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security.
- Use a password manager to create strong and unique passwords.
- Run an antivirus scan to check for infostealer malware on your device.
This incident shows how easy it is for misinformation to spread. Many websites rushed to publish the news without confirming the real cause. In reality, Gmail’s security system remains strong. However, it also highlights a bigger issue. Users still reuse passwords across websites. This makes them easy targets when data leaks happen elsewhere.
I think this will push Google to educate users more about passkeys and passwordless login options, which are safer than traditional passwords.
