Massive Data Leak Exposes Billions of Records in Suspected Chinese Surveillance Database

Cybersecurity experts have uncovered a massive trove of sensitive information left exposed online, potentially placing millions of individuals at significant risk. The discovery, made by researchers from Cybernews in collaboration with SecurityDiscovery.com, revealed an unsecured database totaling 631 gigabytes—containing an estimated four billion individual records. 

The open instance, which lacked any form of password protection, was quickly taken offline once the exposure was reported, but experts remain unsure about how long it had remained publicly accessible.

The data, according to the investigation, appears to primarily concern Chinese citizens and users, with entries collected from various platforms and sources. 

Cybernews researchers believe this is not a random collection, but rather a systematically curated database. They described it as a tool capable of constructing detailed behavioral, social, and financial profiles of nearly any individual included in the records. The structured and diverse nature of the data has led analysts to suspect that the repository may have been created as part of a broader surveillance or profiling initiative. 

Among the most alarming elements of the database is the presence of extensive personally identifiable information (PII). The exposed details include full names, birth dates, phone numbers, financial records, bank card data, savings balances, debt figures, and personal spending pat

[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.