Reusing passwords might really feel like a innocent shortcut – till a single breach opens the door to a number of accounts
08 Jan 2026
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4 min. learn
Reusing the identical password throughout a number of accounts could also be handy, nevertheless it units you up for bother that may cascade throughout your digital life. This (unhealthy) behavior creates the right opening for credential stuffing, a method the place unhealthy actors take a listing of beforehand uncovered login credentials and systematically feed the username and password pairs into the login fields of chosen on-line companies. And in the event you recycle the identical credentials throughout varied accounts, a single such pair can grant attackers entry to in any other case unrelated on-line companies.
Certainly, credential stuffing is the digital equal of somebody discovering a skeleton key that opens your own home, workplace, and protected – multi functional sweep. And discovering that key needn’t be troublesome in any respect – it may be gathered from previous knowledge breaches and cybercrime markets or attackers can deploy so-called infostealer malware that siphons credentials off compromised units and internet browsers.
What makes credential stuffing so harmful and efficient?
As might be apparent by now, this menace pays off handsomely for attackers due to our penchant for reusing passwords throughout accounts – together with high-value ones, resembling on-line banking, e mail, social media and purchasing websites. To gauge how widespread this unhealthy behavior is, NordPass lately shared a survey stating that 62% of People confess to reusing a password “usually” or “at all times”.
As soon as an attacker finds login credentials in a single place, they’ll strive them all over the place. Then they’ll use bots or automated instruments to “stuff” these credentials into login types or APIs, generally rotating IP addresses and mimicking authentic person habits to remain below the radar.
In comparison with brute-force assaults, the place attackers try to guess a password utilizing random or generally used patterns, credential stuffing is less complicated: it depends on what folks themselves or their on-line companies of selection have already uncovered, usually years earlier. Additionally, not like brute drive assaults, the place repeated login failures can set off alarms, credential stuffing makes use of credentials which are already legitimate and the assaults stay below the radar.
Whereas credential stuffing is not at all new, a number of tendencies have exacerbated the issue. Data-stealing malware has exploded in quantity, quietly capturing credentials instantly from internet browsers and might even be a menace for password managers. On the similar time, attackers can use (AI-assisted) scripts that simulate regular human habits and slip previous primary bot defenses, all whereas having the ability to take a look at credential pairs extra stealthily and at a larger scale.
Right here’s the size at which credential stuffing assaults could be performed:
- In 2022, PayPal reported that just about 35,000 buyer accounts have been compromised by way of credential stuffing. The fintech agency itself was not breached – attackers merely leveraged login credentials from older knowledge leaks and accessed accounts belonging to customers who had recycled the identical passwords throughout a number of accounts.
- The 2024 assault wave concentrating on Snowflake clients confirmed one other dimension of the issue. The information storage and processing service itself wasn’t breached, however the incident affected some 165 organizations who have been its clients. This was after attackers used credentials beforehand stolen by way of infostealer malware to entry the companies’ a number of Snowflake accounts, with some victims later receiving ransom calls for for stolen knowledge.
Easy methods to defend your self
Right here a couple of sensible steps you possibly can take to remain protected. Step one specifically is (disarmingly) easy:
- By no means reuse the identical password throughout a number of websites or companies. A password supervisor makes this a breeze as it may generate and retailer sturdy, distinctive passwords for every account.
- Allow two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever doable. Even when attackers know your password, they nonetheless gained’t have the ability to log in with out that second issue.
- Keep alert and in addition use companies resembling haveibeenpwned.com to verify whether or not your e mail or credentials have been uncovered in previous leaks or breaches. If they’ve, take motion and alter your passwords instantly, particularly for accounts storing delicate knowledge.
Easy methods to defend your group
Today, credential stuffing can be a major vector for account takeover, fraud, and large-scale knowledge theft throughout industries, together with retail, finance, SaaS, and well being care. Many organizations nonetheless rely solely on passwords for authentication and even the place 2FA is obtainable, it is not at all at all times enforced by default. Corporations must also limit login makes an attempt, require community allow-lists or IP whitelisting, monitor for uncommon login exercise, and undertake bot-detection programs or CAPTCHA to dam automated abuse.
Importantly, many organizations are embracing passwordless authentication, resembling passkeys, which successfully make credential stuffing ineffective. But adoption stays uneven, and outdated habits die laborious, so it is little shock that credential stuffing continues to ship a excessive return for attackers with minimal effort.
At the identical time, thousands and thousands of leaked credentials stay legitimate lengthy after a breach, particularly when customers by no means change their passwords. Subsequently, credential stuffing is low-cost, extremely scalable, and persistently efficient for cybercriminals.
Conclusion
Credential stuffing is a surprisingly easy, low-cost and scalable assault approach. It really works as a result of its makes use of our personal habits towards us and subverts outdated safeguards. Except you need to transfer past passwords fully, the danger of account break-ins could be neutralized by means of considerate password practices. These are usually not elective – they should be customary observe.
