Thousands of Government Email Credentials Exposed on the Dark Web Researchers at Proton have uncovered a widespread leak of official government email credentials, including plaintext passwords, on the dark web. The breach affects public officials globally, with the UK experiencing the highest exposure rate 68% of its House of Commons members had their email addresses compromised, and 284 passwords were exposed, 216 in plaintext. In the U.S., 67% of state legislators’ emails appeared in breach datasets, with Massachusetts seeing the highest exposure (84% of its officials). New Hampshire had the most passwords leaked, while Arizona and Oklahoma had every legislator’s email compromised at least once. Additionally, 20% of U.S. political staffers’ official emails were exposed, with 1,848 credentials fully compromised. Spain fared better, with only 39 of its 615 politicians’ emails leaked and just nine passwords exposed in plaintext. The risks of such leaks are severe. Without multi-factor authentication (MFA), attackers could access sensitive government communications, leading to reputational damage, blackmail, or further phishing attacks. Reused passwords could also grant access to critical government systems. While many governments now mandate MFA, the exposure of credentials remains a significant security threat.