topic Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others. in Community Chat

23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Mindy D — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 01:10:50 GMT

23 and Me was breached in October by some hacker who calls himself Golem. He targeted at least one million Ashkenazi Jews and some hundreds of thousands of Chinese people. The information is already on the dark web and a major news agency was able to verify this using data from their inside sources (probably two Ashkenazi employees). Two weeks later the same hacker has revealed he has targetedBritish people and exceptionally rich people...billionaires, including well-known ones. The hacker has also used this to scrape even more data from family members of their original targets.

This is very upsetting news. Some sources, if you are looking, include Tech Crunch, Reuters, The Verge, Washington Post and TV network news online articles, including NBC News online.

UPDATE 4:24 PM

As of today, they are up to publishing data of 4 million people for sale on the dark web.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting Jewish people and others.

4kitties — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 20:38:35 GMT

I am so glad I did not go through with any of these genetic or ancestry testing sites. I was very close to doing it at one time.😳😳😳

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Kachina624 — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:05:43 GMT

@Mindy D. Im assuming the seriousness of the situation depends on what information was hacked.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting Jewish people and others.

lgfan — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:08:46 GMT

@4kitties wrote:
I am so glad I did not go through with any of these genetic or ancestry testing sites. I was very close to doing it at one time.😳😳😳

I agree with you. The information is also used to find family members for people who have been adopted. I saw it on the show "Long Lost Family".

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

AZfem — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:09:22 GMT

I went through them for DNA testing. Hopefulky, they won't target me as I had little bits of almost every European nation. Just a mongrel.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Mz iMac — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:24:21 GMT

@Mindy D wrote:
billionaires, including weak-known ones.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Icegoddess — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:33:24 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@Mindy D. Im assuming the seriousness of the situation depends on what information was hacked.

@Kachina624 I agree. Is this financial data or what and for what purpose? So many places have been hacked in the last few years. Even my Long Term Care insurance, so I wouldn't consider 23andMe to be any different.

However, I did at one time consider 23andMe for the possible medical implications, not for genealogical use even though I do genealogy. I chose not to do that and have refused to do any genealogical DNA testing. I've had people in the genealogy community poo poo my reasons, but I still stand by them.

We guard our Social Security Numbers yet when I got my first driver's license, the DL# was my SSN and guess what went on every check I wrote. I think my DNA should be guarded even more than my SSN. I've always said just because you can't think of any way this information could be used in a nefarious way doesn't mean it it doesn't exist or won't exist in the future.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Puzzle Piece — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:41:53 GMT

Can I ask - exactly what do these dark web folks hope to gain from having all this info. I know I don't have any money so it's a waste of their time.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting Jewish people and others.

Trinity11 — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:43:42 GMT

@lgfan wrote:
@4kitties wrote:
I am so glad I did not go through with any of these genetic or ancestry testing sites. I was very close to doing it at one time.😳😳😳

I agree with you. The information is also used to find family members for people who have been adopted. I saw it on the show "Long Lost Family".

Yes and my experience was a nightmare. I wish I had left well enough alone.😳

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Mz iMac — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:05:53 GMT

@Puzzle Piece wrote:
Can I ask - exactly what do these dark web folks hope to gain from having all this info. I know I don't have any money so it's a waste of their time.

@Puzzle Piece Depends on the info. All info is SOLD on the dark web.

Names, Genders, Addresses, Ages, Domociles, etc = can be used to obtain credit cards, morgages, loans, exotic car & boat/yacht purchases, wiping out $$$ accounts, etc.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

lgfan — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:10:35 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Puzzle Piece wrote:
Can I ask - exactly what do these dark web folks hope to gain from having all this info. I know I don't have any money so it's a waste of their time.
@Puzzle Piece Depends on the info. All info is SOLD on the dark web.

Names, Genders, Addresses, Ages, Domociles, etc = can be used to obtain credit cards, morgages, loans, exotic car & boat/yacht purchases, wiping out $$$ accounts, etc.

You are right. Someone used my social security number to buy property. I had to explain to the tax treasurer department that I only owned one property.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

granddi — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:23:17 GMT

@lgfan A little off topic but the last 4 digits of your ss# is the most valuable. The first 3 and next 2 are easy to find because they are coded by region, birth yr.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

bonnielu — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 23:55:47 GMT

A few years back I tried this website for myself and my husband. I messed it up by confusing my data and samples with his. After lots of back and forth they send me new kits. I was so upset I never sent them back.

I really don't think anything about me was hacked and frankly I don't care. Much more out there to worry about.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Mindy D — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:23:07 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Puzzle Piece wrote:
Can I ask - exactly what do these dark web folks hope to gain from having all this info. I know I don't have any money so it's a waste of their time.
@Puzzle Piece Depends on the info. All info is SOLD on the dark web.

Names, Genders, Addresses, Ages, Domociles, etc = can be used to obtain credit cards, morgages, loans, exotic car & boat/yacht purchases, wiping out $$$ accounts, etc.

@Mz iMac @This information can also be used to facilitate hate crimes.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Shanus — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 13:14:44 GMT

@Mindy D Thanks for the thread. This is quite alarming especially in these times.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Shanus — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 13:18:46 GMT

@Mz iMac I see "well known ones" in her thread.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

KittySoftPaws — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 13:24:03 GMT

These are very dark times. Pray and stay close to God.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

KittySoftPaws — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 13:31:37 GMT

Exactly. I work in the medical field and medical health records are the biggest target for cyber criminals. People dont realize how much damage can be done with this information. My MIL, who's mind is failing, was receiveng phone calls at least once a week from scammers claiming to be from Medicare. I saved her from giving out her MC number and personal information on more than one occasion. I tried to tell her MC does not call you, and yet she gave eventually gave them information including her MC number.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

Mindy D — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:54:16 GMT

@Shanus wrote:
@Mz iMac I see "well known ones" in her thread.

@Shanus @I corrected the error after reading Mz iMac's comment. My iPad changed what I typed to the incorrect version. I had origally typed well-known, but my iPad constantly changes what I type.

Re: 23 and Me data breech targeting 1M Jewish people and others.

chrystaltree — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:58:06 GMT

I have never used any of those pay for play commercial genetic sites and I never will.