- Unsecured Netcore database exposed 40 billion records, including emails and bank messages
- Researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered the 13TB database open without password protection
- Netcore secured the database after contact; exposure duration is unknown
More than 40 billion data records, including people’s emails, IP addresses and notifications of banking activities, were leaked online.
Earlier this week, security researcher Jeremiah Fowler found a large, unencrypted database exposed online without password protection, leaving sensitive records accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. The database weighed approximately 13 terabytes and belonged to an Indian marketing company called Netcore Cloud Pvt. Ltd.
Only an internal audit could confirm whether the database was accessed by any cyber criminals. Fowler confirmed that it was also possible that a third party managed the database on behalf of Netcore.
Larger company
Analyzing a sample of the information stored in this database, Fowler found plenty of sensitive, personally identifiable information — which could leave those affected at risk of identity theft or fraud.
It included banking messages, employment-related messages, account confirmation emails, marketing messages, health messages, banking activity messages, mail log entries (with email addresses and message subjects), partial account numbers, IP addresses, data marked as “production” and many records “marked as confidential”.
After identifying the database’s owner, Fowler reached out, and the company locked it down the same day, thanking the researcher for the tip. He emphasized that it is not known how long the database remained open or whether any malicious actors found it before he did.
Netcore is a fairly large marketing organization. It provides cloud-based tools that help businesses communicate with customers across digital channels, mainly via email, SMS, WhatsApp, push and in-app notifications, while tracking and optimizing these interactions using AI and automation.
It is based in Mumbai, India, but has offices around the world including Malaysia, UAE, UK and elsewhere, serving more than 6,500 customers around the world, including big names like Flipkart, Disney Hotstar, McDonald’s and others. According to some sources, Netcore reached $100 million in revenue and 5,000 customers by 2024.
Via Homepage Planet
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