NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The personal data of millions have been accessed by hackers through their 23andMe accounts — a genetic testing company where people trace their family history.
Hackers accessed accounts that used the same username and passwords for other websites, and then exploited the features that allow users to see information about their relatives.
Overall, 23andMe said only about 14,000 accounts were hacked, but the relatives feature gave the hackers access to millions of people's personal data.
A 23andMe spokesperson said the "DNA Relatives" profiles of more than 5 million customers was accessed without permission. Which has information such as names, birthdays, and zip codes, according to CNN, as well as other predicted relationships and the DNA percentage users share with their matches.
More than a million customers had their "Family Tree" profile information accessed, which is a limited subset of the Relatives profile.
The company said this hack happened back in October and then an investigation was launched.
The company acknowledged the hack in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday.
Users who have been affected are still being notified. In the meantime, all users are being asked to change their passwords and enable two-step verification to prevent this from happening again.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
