Stolen data has value because criminals can use it for fraud, extortion, account takeover and further attacks.
That creates an underground market for databases and credentials.
International law-enforcement operations in 2026 targeted forums and infrastructure associated with the trade in stolen information.
For ordinary users, the lesson is that a data breach can have consequences long after the original incident.
If a password has been exposed, changing it only on the breached service is not enough if the same password was reused elsewhere.
Use unique passwords and a password manager so that one stolen credential does not become a master key for several accounts.