23andMe Hack Exposes Data of 6.9 Million Users

23andMe Hack Exposes , Data of 6.9 Million Users.

On Dec.

1, the genetic testing company said that the personal data of 14,000 users was accessed in the October hack.

However, 23andMe also said that hackers gained access to "a significant number of files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry.".

TechCrunch reports that the amount of "other users" to fall victim to the data breach was substantial.

In total, 6.9 million people were affected.

23andMe spokesperson Katie Watson confirmed in an email that 5.5 million people who opted in to the company's DNA Relatives feature... ... had their name, birth year, DNA info, location and relationship titles stolen.

A separate group of another 1.4 million people "had their Family Tree profile information accessed," Watson said.

It is not known why 23andMe withheld these numbers in its disclosure on Dec.

1, TechCrunch reports.

.

The new numbers illustrate that roughly half of the company's customers have been affected by the data breach