Posts by PravinKarthik

23andMe has agreed to pay $30 million to settle lawsuits over a data breach that ensnared 6.4 million users last year.

The breach resulted in the attacker pulling this off by first breaching 14,000 accounts and then exploiting the service’s optional “DNA relatives” feature to access the profiles of millions of other users.

The hacker tried to sell the stolen DNA-related information in a forum at $100,000 per 100,000 user profiles. The incident prompted some victims to hire lawyers and file class action lawsuits, alleging that 23andMe had failed to protect their data.

All affected wont get the settlement, However the settlement, needs final court approval, proposes offering up to $10,000 from the fund for users who file an “extraordinary claim,” meaning they can demonstrate the breach caused them to suffer financial fraud.

Other users are only entitled to a $100 payment. Apart from this settlement funds, 23andMe has also agreed to pay for identity monitoring services  for three years to all affected users with a variety of products, including a password manager, anti-phishing protection, and medical record monitoring.