23andMe is a genetic testing Bio-technology company that offers direct-to-consumer service. Customers provide a saliva sample that is analyzed in a lab to generate reports about their ancestry and genetic predispositions to health-related topics.
In October 2023, 23andMe confirmed that hackers accessed the personal information of about 69 lakh users. The hackers used customers’ old passwords to gain access to information such as: Birth years, Family trees, Geographic locations. The data breach also resulted in the sale of at least one million profiles of people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and hundreds of thousands of people with Chinese ancestry.
The hackers were able to see personal data of both individual and their relatives which led in increase of numbers of victims. The hackers were able to use the information of those users who didn’t used two-factor authentication.
23andMe also confirmed that an additional group of approximately 14 lakh individuals who actively participated in DNA Relatives had their Family Tree profile details accessed. This information includes: display names, relationship labels, birth years, self-reported locations, and the user’s decision to share their information, as indicated by a spokesperson.
Wow!
Wow! 🫡