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The stolen database contains 5.3 million records
A financially motivated criminal hacking group says it has stolen a confidential database stop millions of records that companies use for screening possible customers for golf links to sanctions and financial criminal offense .
The hackers , which call themselves GhostR , said they stole 5.3 million track record from the World - Check screening database in March and are threaten to release the data online .
human race - Check is a screening database used for “ know your client ” checks ( or KYC ) , allow for troupe to determine if prospective client are high-pitched risk or potential criminals , such as the great unwashed with links to money laundering or who are under political science authority . The hackers tell apart TechCrunch that they stole the data from a Singapore - based firm with access to the World - Check database , but did not name the firm .
A portion of the steal data , which the hackers divvy up with TechCrunch , includes individuals who were sanctioned as lately as this year .
Simon Henrick , a interpreter for the London Stock Exchange Group , which defend the database , tell apart TechCrunch : “ This was not a surety breach of LSEG / our systems . The incident involves a third political party ’s data set , which include a copy of the World - Check information filing cabinet . This was illicitly obtained from the third company ’s organisation . We are arbitrate with the affect third party , to guarantee our data is protected and ensuring that any appropriate authorities are advise . ”
LSEG did not name the third - party company , but did not dispute the amount of information stolen .
The portion of stolen data see by TechCrunch contains records on yard of hoi polloi , including current and former government functionary , diplomats , and individual companies whose leaders are considered “ politically disclose mass , ” who are at a high risk of exposure of affaire in corruption or bribery . The list also contain individual charge of intimacy in organized crime , suspected terrorist , intelligence private detective anda European spyware trafficker .
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The data point diverge by record . The database contain name , recommendation numbers , Social Security numbers , on-line crypto account identifier and savings bank story numbers , and more .
World - Check is currently own by the London Stock Exchange Group following a $ 27 billion deal to buy financial datum provider Refinitiv in 2021 . LSEG gather up information from public generator , admit sanctions lists , government sources and news program outlets , then provides the database as a subscription to company for conduct customer due diligence .
But in camera run database , like World - Check , are know to contain errors that canaffect entirely innocent peoplewith no link or connexion to crime but whose information is stash away in these databases .
In 2016 , an older transcript of the World - Check databaseleaked onlinefollowing a security measure reverting at a third - company company with access to the data , include a former advisor to the U.K. government that World - Check had utilise a “ terrorism ” recording label to his name . Banking giant HSBCshut down banking company accountsbelonging to several prominent British Muslims after the World - Check database branded them with “ terrorism ” tag .
A spokesperson for the U.K. ’s data security authority , the Information Commissioner ’s Office , did not directly annotate on the breach .
To contact this reporter , get in tactual sensation on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646 - 755 - 8849 , orby electronic mail . you’re able to also send files and document viaSecureDrop .
