Has there been a data leak at TikTok? A group of hacktivist claims to have stolen a TikTok database, while for its part, the social network denies these claims!
On Friday, September 3, 2022, a group called AgainstTheWest posted various files on a hacker forum, stating in the description that it was information from a TikTok database, but also from WeChat, a service Chinese courier. On this forum, we find a first sample, as the group AgainstTheWest claims to have 2 billion entries. This would correspond to a 790 GB database. As far as this data is concerned, it would be quite varied since there would be source codeof the user information, TikTok servers but also information on business partnerships, marketing campaigns and statistics.
On the side of the Chinese social network, we deny this information. TikTok told the BleepingComputer site that the data posted on a hacking forum had “no report” with the company, and moreover, the Numerama site obtained the following information through a spokesperson: ” The privacy and security of user data is a priority for us. Our teams investigated these claims and found no evidence of a security breach. “.
For the moment, we do not know if there was a compromise of a TikTok server, or if it is linked to the compromise of a TikTok partner company. However, experts claim that the published data is real. It remains to know the origin of these data.
It is important to clarify that the name AgainstTheWest may give the impression that the hacker group particularly targets Western countries, but in fact they only target countries that threaten Western countries. According to a security researcher at CyberKnow, AgainstTheWest is particularly interested in China and Russia. In the future, the hacker group plans to target North Korea, Belarus, and Iran.
Do you use TikTok? Personally, I don’t use this social network at all…