THE BUZZ!
Hackers accessed 23andMe data of millions of users, company says
First up.
People share DNA in all kind of ways, but this was not by choice.
In October 2023, hackers gained access to the personal data of millions of 23andMe users. The company has confirmed that the hack affected 0.1% of its user accounts, which is equivalent to about 14,000 users. However, the hackers were able to exploit a feature on the site to view the information of millions of additional users. This means that approximately 5.5 million customers had their “DNA Relatives” profiles accessed, and 1.4 million customers had their “Family Tree” profile information accessed.
23andMe is still in the process of notifying affected customers and is requiring all customers to reset their passwords and enable two-step verification. The company believes that the hackers have been contained, but it is still investigating the incident.
