California sues 23andMe, alleging it failed to protect user data in 2023 breach
Rob Bonta says 23andMe failed to protect sensitive genetic data and misled consumers after hackers accessed about 6.9 million U.S. accounts.
- On Thursday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Chrome Holding, the firm formerly known as 23andMe, alleging it failed to protect sensitive user data in a 2023 breach affecting an estimated 6.9 million customers.
- Hackers exploited the company's lack of basic security protocols by using "credential stuffing"—reusing passwords from prior breaches—allowing threat actors to operate undetected within 23andMe systems for over five months before demanding a ransom.
- Stolen data specifically targeted about 1.1 million Asian-Pacific Islander and Ashkenazi Jewish users. Bonta called the exposure "disturbing and incredibly dangerous" amid "mounting anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander and antisemitic hate and violence."
- Chrome Holding previously agreed to pay $50 million in January to resolve most U.S. customer claims during bankruptcy; the new lawsuit now seeks civil penalties and injunctions blocking further violations of California privacy law.
- The ICO investigated the breach, finding 155,592 UK residents were affected, while Bonta's lawsuit aims to enforce California law mandating "one of the highest levels of protection" for genetic information.
48 Articles
48 Articles
23andMe accused of failing to protect user data in new lawsuit
(ABC NEWS) — The genetic testing company 23andMe is being sued by the state of California over allegations it failed to protect user data during a breach that affected millions of customers. Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the lawsuit Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court against Chrome Holding Co., the corporate debtor name that 23andMe operated under during its bankruptcy process last year. Last July, a bankruptcy court approved the $305 m…
23andMe inherits lawsuit over 'disturbing' DNA data breach
The office of Rob Bonta, California's attorney general, is suing 23andMe for the data protection failings that led to the genetics company's disastrous 2023 breach. Bonta and his team claim [PDF] that 23andMe failed to implement adequate security controls for the sensitive records it stored, and misled customers about the nature of the mishap after the fact. "23andMe collected genetic data about millions of people, failed to meet its obligation …
Cleveland Jewish News
Jewish News SyndicateTop California legal officer sues genetic-testing company over breach including Jewish users’ data
“Disturbingly, this occurred during a period of increasing anti-Asian American and Pacific Islanders and antisemitic hate and violence,” stated the office of Rob Bonta, the California attorney general.
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