TikTok denies reports that it was breached after a hacking group posted images of what they believe is a TikTok database containing the platform’s source code and user information (through beeping computer). In response to these allegations, TikTok said the team “find no evidence of a security breach”..”
According to beeping computer, hackers shared the images of the alleged database with a hacking forum, saying they obtained the data on a server used by TikTok. The server is claimed to store over 2 billion records and 790 GB of user data, platform stats, code, and more.
“We have confirmed that the data samples in question are all publicly available and are not due to any compromise of TikTok systems, networks or databases,” TikTok spokesman Maureen Shanahan said in a statement. The edge. “We do not believe that users need to take proactive actions, and we remain committed to the safety and security of our global community.”
This is quite unclear so far; some data corresponds to production information, albeit publicly available information. Some data is junk, but it could be non-production or test data. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag so far.
— Troy Hunt (@troyhunt) September 5, 2022
Most of the “stolen” data appears to be public information scraped off the platform. Troy Hunt, regional director at Microsoft and creator of the Have I Been Pwned tool, called the hackers’ data “inconclusive”, but suspected “it could be non-production or test data” that probably wasn’t taken by infringement.
The hacking group, calling itself “AgainstTheWest,” also claims to have obtained data from Chinese messaging app WeChat. However, Hunt could not confirm whether the hackers’ database contained stolen information and WeChat did not immediately respond? The edge‘s request for comment.
Both TikTok and WeChat have come under scrutiny for their ties to China (ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is based in China). TikTok has taken several steps, such as putting US data on Oracle’s US servers, in an effort to undo recent reports of TikTok employees in China accessing information from US users.
