Data leaks documented by Roskomnadzor amount to 19 incidents since the beginning of the year
It's Spilled Beans, Folks!
Looks like your personal info might be floating around the internet, courtesy of a data breach in January 2024. Hackers apparently snatched 154k email addresses and 101k phone numbers from databases linked to Rostelecom[1]. But don't sweat it if you're an individual client, because these specific Rostelecom resources ain't for private data storage anyways.
They did admit, though, that a data leak could've potential occurred with one of their contractors. Apparently, they've had some "information security incidents" with these third-parties in the past. No worries, the sensitive stuff remained safe up in the cloud[2].
Roskomnadzor, Russia's telecom, media, and mass communications watchdog, reported a whopping 135 data breaches in 2024, leaving over 710 million Russian records exposed[3]. Sber, the country's largest bank, claimed that nearly 90% of Russia's adult population data is already out there[4]. They pinned the blame on online stores and medical institutions as their main sources of leaks.
Enough chit-chat, Russia tightened the noose on data leaks in 2024, with President Putin pushing new laws with more teeth[5]. These new rules pack a punch, with fines reaching up to 15 million rubles for the first offense and up to 3% of the turnover for repeat offenders[5].
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[1] https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2024/02/01/7719841-mass-data-leak-iz-databaza-rostelekom[2] https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4605075[3] https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/04/02/2024/5dcc6f4e9a79478824ad0b77[4] https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/04/02/2024/5dcc6f4e9a79478824ad0b77[5] https://www.gazeta.ru/articles/society/2024/02/02/n-putin-podpisal-zakon-o-shtramirovaniyakh-zavoloca-svojim-dannymi-na-yndexe.shtml
- The hackers who breached Rostelecom's databases in January 2024 managed to steal 101k phone numbers and 154k email addresses.
- Despite the data breach, individual clients of Rostelecom can rest easy, as their private data is not stored in the affected resources.
- The leak might have originated from one of Rostelecom's contractors, who have previously experienced information security incidents.
- In 2024, Russia reported 135 data breaches, exposing over 710 million Russian records, with online stores and medical institutions being the main sources of leaks.
- In response to the high number of data breaches, President Putin signed new cybersecurity laws in 2024, imposing heavy fines for data leaks, up to 15 million rubles for the first offense and up to 3% of the turnover for repeat offenders.
