A massive data leak including personal information of over 630 million Chinese citizens has been reported on a cybercrime forum. Unknown threat actors have posted a dataset on the Russia-linked forum, offering users the chance to purchase sensitive details of 8% of the world’s population.
Furthermore, the leaked data reportedly includes users’ names, surnames, national ID numbers, home addresses, mobile phones, gender, and bank card numbers.
The attackers claim that the data was stolen in April 2023, but have not disclosed the source of the leak.
Additionally, Cybernews research suggests that most exposed users had UnionPay bank cards, a Chinese state-owned financial services corporation offering an alternative to Visa or Mastercard.
The leak is not the first time that a large amount of data on Chinese citizens has been leaked, with a previous breach of one billion citizens’ data reported last year.
At the same time, the breach highlights the dangers of losing personal information, with cybercriminals able to use the data for identity theft, phishing attacks, opening unauthorized credit accounts, and obtaining loans under false pretenses.
Even seemingly insignificant pieces of leaked personal information can have devastating effects, with victims often unaware that their data has been compromised.
As such, it is essential for individuals to take steps to protect their personal information and monitor their credit reports for any suspicious activity.
