In one of the largest global data breaches in recent history, sensitive information, including passwords, of over 180 million users from major companies such as Google, Facebook, and Apple have been compromised.

The alarming incident has prompted Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (N-CERT) to issue an urgent advisory to all users and institutions across the country.

According to the advisory, the data breach also includes information from government portals and popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. N-CERT warned that the stolen data, which is now stored in an unsecured database, could be exploited through automated cyberattacks, putting millions of users at risk of identity theft, account hacking, and further cyber intrusions.

The advisory emphasized that both individual users and government institutions, including financial accounts, are vulnerable and must take immediate precautionary measures. Pakistani users are strongly urged to change their account passwords without delay and enable two-step verification to enhance account security.

“Passwords should never be shared via email or stored in unsecured files,” the advisory cautioned. It further recommended the use of trusted password managers to safeguard credentials and advised regular updates to antivirus and security software.

N-CERT also urged users to monitor unusual login activity and report any suspicious behaviour promptly. In addition to individuals, government departments and sensitive organisations have been advised to take swift action to identify and inform affected users.

Failure to implement necessary security measures, the advisory warned, could jeopardize the integrity of the national digital infrastructure and potentially impact critical services.

Cybersecurity experts have reiterated the importance of heightened vigilance as automated attacks may target the compromised data in the coming days.