The cybersecurity media Cybernews recently revealed that researchers found about 4 billion records in an unencrypted, publicly accessible 631 GB database, which is likely the largest data breach in China's history.
Broad Range of Leaked Content
The database includes 16 datasets, mainly covering the following information:
WeChat data: over 805 million entries, including user behavior and possible communication logs;
Address information: about 780 million entries, precise to the house number;
Bank card and financial data: 630 million entries, covering bank card numbers, issuing banks, etc.;
Three-element verification information: 610 million entries, including ID card numbers, mobile phone numbers, and usernames;
Alipay related records: about 300 million card certificate tokens and 20 million financial records;
Other sensitive information: over 353 million entries, including gambling behavior, vehicle trajectories, employment status, and some data on users from Taiwan.
Scale of the Leak and Potential Risks
The security research team pointed out that the data was accessible without a password, indicating that the database might have been used for centralized user behavior and financial profiling, potentially for monitoring, analysis, or commercial mining. This vulnerability could be exploited by criminals for identity theft, fraud, social engineering attacks, or extortion, and even by state-level organizations for political or commercial purposes.
Official and Professional Advice
As of now, Chinese officials have not yet responded to this incident. Experts warn that if the vulnerability is not promptly sealed and the source traced, the account security and privacy of hundreds of millions of users will face severe threats.
Individual users should immediately take the following measures:
Check for any unusual logins on various accounts and change passwords promptly;
Enable two-factor authentication;
Pay attention to SMS notifications from banks and payment platforms;
Be cautious of unfamiliar emails and avoid clicking on suspicious links.
This leakage incident involves a massive amount of real identities, contact information, and payment details, unprecedented in scale and content. It serves as a reminder that as digitalization deepens into our lives, platform security cannot be neglected, and individuals must also enhance their awareness and actively take self-protection measures.
