Ancestry and genetics company 23andMe confirmed Monday that "threat actors" used about 14,000 accounts to access the ancestry data of 6.9 million people, as first reported by TechCrunch.
The hackers were able to access the accounts by using usernames and passwords from other compromised websites that were the same on 23andMe, according to the company.
"We do not have any indication that there has been a breach or data security incident within our systems, or that 23andMe was the source of the account credentials used in these attacks," a company spokesperson said in an email.
The accounts accessed make up approximately .1% of the company's user base, according to a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company said that 5.5 million users who opted in to 23andMe's Relatives feature, which links people with common DNA. Another 1.4 million users had their family tree information accessed.
The company originally disclosed the incident in October in a blog post that did not mention the scope of the compromised data, though they said they had launched an investigation.
The accessed data includes personal and family information and may include the following, according to the company:
DNA relatives' profile information
Family tree information
To help prevent similar incidents from compromising consumer information, strong and varied password protection is recommended.
Passwords don’t need to be an overcomplicated string of numbers, letters and symbols that are impossible to memorize.
When creating a strong password, think of a phrase or a string of words that will be easy to remember. For example: Flowersgrowoutside
Then, add in some numbers and special characters.
A password like Flow3rsgrow0uts!de% is trickier for a hacker, human or bot, to crack and gain access to your valuable information.
If you don't want to memorize a plethora of passwords, one can use a digital password manager.
Contributing: Cody Goodwin
2024-12-25 00:30662 view
2024-12-25 00:00907 view
2024-12-24 23:46715 view
2024-12-24 23:44297 view
2024-12-24 23:442554 view
You’ve heard of doomscrolling, now get ready for doom spending.A new report published by consulting
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A state panel on Wednesday denied clemency for an Oklahoma death row inmate con
Gal Gadot has some wonderful news.The Wonder Woman star gave birth to her fourth child—a baby girl n