Half a million Britons' medical data has been stolen and offered for sale on Alibaba in a significant hack of the UK Biobank, technology minister Ian Murray has confirmed.
Government Statement
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Murray said: "On Monday, the 20th of April the UK Biobank charity informed the Government they had identified their data had been advertised for sale by several sellers on Alibaba’s ecommerce platforms in China."
He added: "Biobank told us that three listings that appear to sell … Biobank participation data had been identified. At least one of these three datasets appeared to contain data from all 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers."
Additional listings were found offering support for applying for legitimate access to UK Biobank or analytical support for researchers who already have access to the data.
Reassurance on Personal Data
Mr Murray sought to reassure the House, stating: "Biobank have advised that this data did not contain participants, names, addresses, contact details or telephone numbers."
The Government had spoken to the vendor and believed that no purchases were made from the three listings before they were taken down.
About UK Biobank
UK Biobank is a vast database containing genetic, biological, and health data from 500,000 UK participants. It was established to advance medical research, and scientists worldwide can use its anonymised data for studies deemed in the public interest.
All participants were aged between 40 and 69 years old when they joined the study between 2006 and 2010. Their data is used to track long-term health and help researchers understand, prevent, and treat serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and dementia.
This is a developing story. Further updates will follow.
