Hackers created a database containing the personal information of more than 538 million Weibo users for sale on the dark web for just €238 or CNY 1.799. The database contains personal information, including the names, Weibo handles, number of posts, number of followers, gender and location, and contact numbers of nearly 172 million affected users. According to some reports, hackers may have broken into Chinese social media in mid-2019.
Weibo data breach
After the breach, several users, including Alibaba security director Wei Xingguo, reported on Weibo that their contact details had been disclosed and that they were receiving connection requests based on the search by number option. phone. Wei's post was deleted. Although Weibo acknowledged the leak, he downplayed the incident, stating that the data was collected using illegal software. The company's security director, Luo Shiyao, responded to Wei's message, suggesting that the phone numbers were leaked during a brute-force attack, while more details can easily be obtained online. - However, even this message has been removed from Weibo. Experts who follow the issue closely suggest that there are irregularities in the statement issued by Weibo. Although the company said that the data was extracted using an API, experts suggest that the data for sale includes details that are not normally shared using APIs. Weibo, on the other hand, has announced that it has filed a complaint against data theft and the competent authorities have been informed. It also advises users not to use similar passwords for different platforms, as this puts accounts at risk. Via: ZDNet