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On Friday , genetic testing company23andMe announced that hackers get to the personal data point of 0.1 % of customers , or about 14,000 individuals . The company also said that by accessing those accounts , hackers were also capable to access “ a significant number of Indian file containing visibility information about other users ’ ancestry . ” But 23andMe would not say how many “ other users ” were bear on by the breach thatthe troupe initially disclosed in early October .
As it turn out , there were a lot of “ other users ” who were victims of this data breach : 6.9 million affected individual in total .
In an email sent to TechCrunch late on Saturday , 23andMe representative Katie Watson confirmed that hackers accessed the personal entropy of about 5.5 million people who opted - in to 23andMe ’s DNA Relatives feature film , which allows customers to automatically share some of their data with others . The steal information include the mortal ’s name , nascency year , relationship labels , the pct of deoxyribonucleic acid divvy up with relatives , ancestry written report and ego - report location .
23andMe also affirm that another group of about 1.4 million the great unwashed who prefer - in to DNA Relatives also “ had their Family Tree profile information accessed , ” which include display names , relationship labels , birth year , ego - report locating and whether the user decided to share their information , the spokesperson said . ( 23andMe declare part of its email as “ on background , ” which requires that both party agree to the terminal figure in advancement . TechCrunch is printing the reply as we were give no opportunity to winnow out the full term . )
It is also not known why 23andMe did not deal these numbers in its revealing on Friday .
Considering the raw numbers , in reality , the data breach is known to regard roughly half of 23andMe ’s total reported 14 million customers .
In former October , a cyber-terrorist claimed to have stolen the DNA selective information of 23andMe usersin a post on a well - have intercourse hacking forum . As proof of the breach , the hacker published the alleged data of one million exploiter of Jewish Ashkenazi declination and 100,000 Chinese users , ask would - be buyer for $ 1 to $ 10 for the data per single account . Two hebdomad later , the same hackeradvertised the allege records of another four million peopleon the same hacking meeting place .
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When we canvass the months - old leak data , TechCrunch found that some record rival genetic data published online by hobbyist and genealogists . The two sets of information were format differently , but contained some of the same alone user and generic data , suggesting the data point leak by the hack was at least in part bona fide 23andMe client information .
Indisclosing the incident in October , 23andMe said the data breach was cause by customers reusing passwords , which allowed hackers to brute - force the victims ’ story by using publicly roll in the hay countersign free in other companies ’ information breaches .
Because of the way that the DNA Relatives feature equal users with their relative , by hack into one private account , the cyber-terrorist were able to see the personal data of both the account holder as well as their relatives , which magnified the total act of 23andMe victims .
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