Turkish officials admitted that a massive data breach occurred…

Turkey has admitted that a massive data breach occurred, exposing the personal information of millions of citizens. Here are the key details:

Scale of the Data Breach

• Personal data of 108 million Turkish citizens was stolen[1][2][3].
• The stolen data included identity numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive information[1][2].
• Specifically, the breach exposed:
• 108,571,832 ID numbers
• 82,322,190 home addresses
• 134,817,279 GSM (mobile phone) numbers[2]

Official Acknowledgment

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), which is responsible for safeguarding this information, acknowledged the breach[1][2]. Turkey’s National Cyber Incident Response Center (USOM), operating under the BTK, discovered the breach and took action[3].

Government Response

• The BTK admitted that it could not protect the data and sought assistance from Google[2].
• USOM contacted Google, requesting urgent removal of the files containing the stolen data from Google Drive[1][2][3].
• The government asked Google to provide information about the accounts that uploaded the files, including IP addresses and port numbers[2][3].

Data Storage and Format

The hackers stored the stolen data across five different Google Drive files, totaling 42.18 GB. The data was saved in MySQL’s MYD and MYI formats, which are capable of handling large datasets[1][2].

Previous Incidents and Legal Action

This is not the first such data breach in Turkey. The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) had previously filed a lawsuit in 2023 after revealing a similar data breach. MLSA argues that the authorities’ failure to protect personal data violates citizens’ privacy, freedom of expression, and right to a fair trial[1][3].

In conclusion, Turkey has indeed admitted to this massive data breach, acknowledging the theft of personal information belonging to 108 million citizens and actively seeking assistance to mitigate the damage.

Citations:
1. MLSA Turkey – Personal Data of 108 Million Citizens Stolen, BTK Seeks Help from Google
2. Free Web Turkey – 108 Million Turkish Citizens’ Personal Data Stolen, BTK Admits Failure and Seeks Help from Google
3. Turkish Minute – Turkish Government Sought Google’s Help After Massive Personal Data Breach
4. Bianet – Turkey Seeks Google’s Help as 108 Million People’s Info Stolen in Massive Breach
5. DataGuidance – Turkey Data Protection Overview
6. Kılınç Law – Turkish Law on Data Breaches and GDPR Report
7. YBK Legal – Constitutional Court Ruling: Procedural Safeguards in Data Protection Cases
8. 404 Media – American Hacker in Turkey Linked to Massive AT&T Breach