23andMe Hack Exposes , Data of 6.9 Million Users.
On Dec. 1, the genetic testing company
said that the personal data of 14,000 users
was accessed in the October hack.
However, 23andMe also said that hackers gained
access to "a significant number of files containing
profile information about other users’ ancestry.".
TechCrunch reports that the amount of "other users"
to fall victim to the data breach was substantial.
In total, 6.9 million people were affected.
23andMe spokesperson Katie Watson confirmed
in an email that 5.5 million people who opted in
to the company's DNA Relatives feature...
... had their name, birth year, DNA info,
location and relationship titles stolen.
A separate group of another 1.4 million
people "had their Family Tree profile
information accessed," Watson said.
It is not known why 23andMe withheld
these numbers in its disclosure on
Dec. 1, TechCrunch reports. .
The new numbers illustrate that roughly half
of the company's customers have been
affected by the data breach