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A database with the personal information of over 5 million Salvadorans was recently leaked in a data breach forum. The database, which has been around since August and has recently been linked to Chivo, El Salvador’s national cryptocurrency wallet, has 144GB of data, including the full name, unique identity number, date of birth, address, and an HD pic of every user.
5 Million Salvadorans’ Personal Data Leak Recently Linked to Chivo Wallet
A data hack that exposed the personal information of over 5 million Salvadorians has been linked to Chivo, the Salvadoran cryptocurrency wallet, in social media. The database, available for purchase through different channels since August, was leaked for free recently, allowing criminals to use it illegally.
The file, which has over 144GB of data, includes the full name, unique identity number, date of birth, address, telephone, email, and a picture of every citizen included in it. According to Databreaches, the leaked data was obtained from a cloud backup of Alejandro Muyshondt, a former national security advisor. At that time, a hack-involved operator stated that it was part of a set of vaccination data, but that the origin of the data was unclear.
Muyshondt was captured in August for allegedly leaking info to help former Salvadoran president Mauricio Funes evade justice and exit the country. However, it is uncertain how he would have access to vaccination or health data.
However, more recently, some users in social media have linked this information to the data needed to register and access Chivo wallet. Chivo wallet was launched in 2021, and immediately had large popularity due to the bonuses that President Nayib Bukele’s government offered to each registered citizen ($30 worth of BTC)
David Gerard, a blockchain author and blogger, concluded this info might come from the users of Chivo wallet, who had to complete know your customer (KYC) procedures to use it. He stated:
It’s literally the Chivo signup data. I’ve spoken to the guys who warned the gov weeks before Chivo launched precisely what would go wrong, and of course it did.
What do you think about the massive Salvadoran hack linked to Chivo Wallet? Tell us in the comments section below.