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, however it units you up for hassle that may cascade throughout your digital life. This (unhealthy) behavior creates the proper opening for credential stuffing, a way the place unhealthy actors take an inventory of beforehand uncovered login credentials and systematically feed the username and password pairs into the login fields of chosen on-line providers. And in case you recycle the identical credentials throughout numerous accounts, a single such pair can grant attackers entry to in any other case unrelated on-line providers.
Certainly, credential stuffing is the digital equal of somebody discovering a skeleton key that opens your own home, workplace, and secure – multi function 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 gadgets and net browsers.
What makes credential stuffing so harmful and efficient?
As might be apparent by now, this risk pays off handsomely for attackers due to our penchant for reusing passwords throughout accounts – together with high-value ones, corresponding to on-line banking, e mail, social media and purchasing websites. To gauge how frequent this unhealthy behavior is, NordPass not too long ago shared a survey stating that 62% of Individuals confess to reusing a password “typically” or “all the time”.
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 respectable consumer conduct to remain beneath the radar.
In comparison with brute-force assaults, the place attackers try and guess a password utilizing random or generally used patterns, credential stuffing is less complicated: it depends on what folks themselves or their on-line providers of alternative have already uncovered, typically years earlier. Additionally, not like brute drive assaults, the place repeated login failures can set off alarms, credential stuffing makes use of credentials which might be already legitimate and the assaults stay beneath the radar.
Whereas credential stuffing is under no circumstances new, a number of tendencies have exacerbated the issue. Data-stealing malware has exploded in quantity, quietly capturing credentials instantly from net browsers and may even be a risk for password managers. On the identical time, attackers can use (AI-assisted) scripts that simulate regular human conduct and slip previous fundamental bot defenses, all whereas with the ability to check credential pairs extra stealthily and at a larger scale.
Right here’s the size at which credential stuffing assaults could be carried out:
- In 2022, PayPal reported that almost 35,000 buyer accounts had been compromised through 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 focusing on Snowflake prospects 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 had been its prospects. This was after attackers used credentials beforehand stolen through infostealer malware to entry the corporations’ a number of Snowflake accounts, with some victims later receiving ransom calls for for stolen knowledge.
The right way to defend your self
Right here a couple of sensible steps you’ll be able to take to remain secure. Step one specifically is (disarmingly) easy:
- By no means reuse the identical password throughout a number of websites or providers. A password supervisor makes this a breeze as it might generate and retailer robust, distinctive passwords for every account.
- Allow two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever doable. Even when attackers know your password, they nonetheless received’t be capable of log in with out that second issue.
- Keep alert and in addition use providers corresponding to haveibeenpwned.com to examine 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.
The right way to defend your group
As of late, credential stuffing can be a main 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 accessible, it is under no circumstances all the time enforced by default. Firms also needs to prohibit login makes an attempt, require community allow-lists or IP whitelisting, monitor for uncommon login exercise, and undertake bot-detection techniques or CAPTCHA to dam automated abuse.
Importantly, many organizations are embracing passwordless authentication, corresponding to 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, tens of millions 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 in opposition to us and subverts outdated safeguards. Until you need to transfer past passwords fully, the danger of account break-ins could be neutralized by considerate password practices. These will not be non-compulsory – they must be customary observe.
