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Alleged Chinese police database hack leaks data of 1 billion
Hackers claim to have obtained a trove of data on 1 billion Chinese from a Shanghai police database in a leak that, if confirmed, could be one of the largest data breaches in history.
International
HONG KONG – Hackers claim to have obtained a trove of data on 1 billion Chinese from a Shanghai police database in a leak that, if confirmed, could be one of the largest data breaches in history.
In a post on the online hacking forum Breach Forums last week, someone using the handle “ChinaDan” offered to sell nearly 24 terabytes (24 TB) of data including what they claimed was information on 1 billion people and “several billion case records” for 10 Bitcoin, worth about $200,000.
The data purportedly includes information from the Shanghai National Police database including names, addresses, national identification numbers and mobile phone numbers as well as case details.
A sample of data seen by The Associated Press listed names, birthdates, ages and mobile numbers. One person was listed as having been born in “2020," with their age listed as “1,” suggesting that information on minors was included in the data obtained in the breach.
The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the data samples. Shanghai police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The data leak initially sparked discussion on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, but censors have since moved to block keyword searches for “Shanghai data leak.”
One person said they were skeptical until they managed to verify some of the personal data leaked online by attempting to search for people on Alipay using their personal information.
“Everyone, please be careful in case there are more phone scams in the future!” they said in a Weibo post.
Another person commented on Weibo that the leak means everyone is “running naked” — slang used to refer to a lack of privacy — and it’s “horrifying.”
Experts said the breach, if confirmed, would be the biggest in history.
Kendra Schaefer, a partner for technology at policy research firm Trivium China, said in a tweet that it’s “hard to parse truth from the rumor mill, but can confirm file exists.”