Alleged Chinese police database hack leaks data of 1 billion

By ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — 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 of data. They claimed it included information on 1 billion Chinese and “several billion case records” for 10 Bitcoin, worth about $200,000. The data purportedly includes information such as national identification numbers and mobile numbers. Experts say that the breach is on a massive scale, but potential harm to individuals is relatively limited.