GENETIC TESTING COMPANY HACKED, PERSONAL INFO STOLEN
Almost seven million users of the famous genetic testing company 23andMe have been hacked.
The hacked data include family trees, geographic locations, birth years and passwords. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that no DNA records were stolen.
It’s believed hackers gained access to the personal data by logging into about 14,000 individual accounts by using previously exposed email and password details.
The company acknowledged that hackers were able to gain access to “a significant number of files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry”.
The hackers managed to download data from the affected accounts as well as the private information of those users.
The BBC reports that one batch of data was advertised on a hacking forum as a list of people with Jewish ancestry, sparking concerns of targeted attacks.
At the moment, there is no evidence that any of the hacked private information is being advertised or that any buyers have shown interest.
As acquired by American law, 23andMe is now informing all the affected customers of what happened. All customers will be required to change their passwords and improve their account security.
Image credit: Axios