UK’s most prominent newspaper `The Telegraph’ had leaked 10 TB of data after failing to secure one of its databases properly.
- The Telegraph newspaper leaked 10TB of subscriber data and server logs after leaving an Elasticsearch cluster unsecured.
- Bob Diachenko said that the cluster was freely accessible without any password or any other authentication required to access it.
UK’s most prominent newspaper `The Telegraph’ had leaked 10 TB of data after failing to secure one of its databases properly.
Bob Diachenko discovered an unprotected 10 TB database belonging to the UK newspaper The Telegraph on September 14, 2021.
The exposed data includes full subscriber names, email addresses, internal logs, device info, IP addresses, URL requests, authentication tokens, and unique reader identifiers.
The database also included registrant information of Apple News subscribers, also including passwords in plaintext form.
Diachenko notified The Telegraph the day it discovered the unsecured database, but it took them two days to eventually respond and secure the database.
Experts recommend impacted visitors reset the password, remain vigilant against unsolicited messages that could ask them to click on links or open attachments.
Below is the statement sent by Telegraph to Diachenko:
“We became aware of this discovery on September 16 and took immediate action to secure the data. An investigation showed that only a small number of records were exposed – less than 0.1% of our users and we have contacted all the users to advise them. The investigation also concluded that whilst the data was exposed; it was not breached other than the discovery posted by the researcher. We are grateful for the work of independent researchers who responsibly disclose vulnerabilities and exposures and who are vital in our continued work to protect our assets.”
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