23andMe says private user data is up for sale after being scraped::Records reportedly belong to millions of users who opted in to a relative-search feature.
(from accounts that had reused passwords elsewhere)
As unfortunate is this is, the more it happens my hope is that people understand how important your privacy and security is on the internet. Trying to explain it to people feels like a losing battle at times. It’s easier when you can point and say “how would you feel about your genetic information being sold on the internet?”
We all knew this was going to happen
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Genetic profiling service 23andMe has commenced an investigation after private user data was been scraped off its website
Friday’s confirmation comes five days after an unknown entity took to an online crime forum to advertise the sale of private information for millions of 23andMe users.
The crime forum post claimed the attackers obtained “13M pieces of data.” 23andMe officials have provided no details about the leaked information available online, the number of users it belongs to, or where it’s being made available.
On Friday, The Record and Bleeping Computer reported that one leaked database contained information for 1 million users of Ashkenazi heritage, all of whom had opted in to the DNA relative service.
While there are benefits to storing genetic information online so people can trace their heritage and track down relatives, there are clear privacy threats.
Even if a user chooses a strong password and uses two-factor authentication as 23andMe has long urged, their data can still be swept up in scraping incidents like the one recently confirmed.
The original article contains 647 words, the summary contains 170 words. Saved 74%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Shit, now they know I’m white.
