This post was first published on 5 July 2022.
The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, is calling for improved cyber security, in the country following the unprecedented alleged data theft by ChinaDan:
Security warning after sale of stolen Chinese data – BBC News
Details of the theft are starting to be pieced together:
How data on a billion people may have leaked from China • The Register
Original post:
PII on more than a billion people and other sensitive data stolen from the Shanghai police.
The numbers involved in this data theft are incredible, but as China has the reputation of being the surveillance nation of the world, then the numbers are not surprising,
Hacker claims to have obtained data on 1 billion Chinese citizens | Hacking | The Guardian
The hacker known only as “ChinaDan”, has been posting about the alleged theft online and has offered the 23TBs of data for sale for 10 Bitcoins – about £160,000). If this is a real hack, then in data terms it will be one of the world’s biggest – which has many users and the authorities in China worrying.
The data does not only include PII of citizens but also information and evidence relating to criminal investigations and prosecutions.
“[the] Databases contain information on 1 billion Chinese national residents and several billion case records, including: name, address, birthplace, national ID number, mobile number, all crime/case details.”
China Dan on Breach Forums
Here is a lesson for every government, organisation and business – if you collect and store any information that may have a value on the Dark Web, then if the threat actors find out about it, you could find yourself being a target and a victim. Of course we must not forget the other victims in this drama, the citizen who have lost control of their personal data because the authorities collected and stored it – not very securely.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Database stolen from Shanghai Police for sale on the darkweb • The Register
Are you are a small business trying to deal with cyber security?
Coming soon:
5 essential skills you need to do your own cybersecurity – A Masterclass
- Are you facing cyber security decisions for your organisation?
- Do you need some help but the budget you have does not seem up to the job?
- This master class will show you where to spend that budget for the biggest impact.
Pre-register your interest here with Kamila:
Octagon Technology – Contact Us
Further Reading
Privacy in China and the Winter Olympics – Smart Thinking Solutions
China’s Burner Phone Winter Games – Smart Thinking Solutions
