Hackers acquired the data of several 23andMe customers and put it up for purchase on BreachForum, according to Wired.
The business acknowledged that data had been exposed on Friday, October 6, but insisted that there had been no breach of data. Instead, they utilized DNA Relatives, a 23andMe tool that allows users to opt-in and exchange information with one another, to obtain further information after guessing individuals’ logins. According to Wired, the fraudster who uploaded the sample information on BreachForum “reported having more than a million points regarding Ashkenazi Jews only,” suggesting that the stolen data may have been specifically targeted at Ashkenazi Jews. Furthermore, the data of tens of hundreds of people of Chinese descent was compromised.
Celebrity Information From 23andMe Being Illegally Sold For $1-$10
The business informed Wired in a statement: “We were informed that specific consumer profile data was gathered via accessing unique 23andMe.com accounts.” “We suspect that the actor of the thread may then have violated our conditions of service by illegally accessing 23andme.com profiles and accounts and obtaining information from these private accounts,” the statement said.
Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, and Elon Musk are among the celebrities whose 23andMe information profiles the hacker is selling for $1 to nearly $10 each. Name, birth year, sex, and some extra genetic data are all included in these profiles. Although data was hacked, 23andMe informed Wired that the sample information had not been independently confirmed by the business.
Credential stuffing, a practice where compromised information is used on various accounts, was probably employed in the leak. People tend to reuse passwords, thus it works. Users should activate two-factor substantiation to safeguard themselves moving forward, according to the source.
