Ethical Hacking News
23andMe's new owner, TTAM Research Institute, is assuring customers that their genetic data will be safeguarded following a £2.3 million fine for exposing millions of people's genetic information.
23andMe has been acquired by TTAM Research Institute for $305 million. T TAM Research Institute's former CEO and co-founder, Anne Wojcicki, now leads the new company. T TAM Research Institute promises to safeguard genetic data and honor existing privacy policies. Existing customers are not required to take any action regarding their data, but can choose to wipe it permanently if desired. A UK probe has fined 23andMe £2.31 million for unsatisfactory authentication policies and a data breach.
In a recent development that has garnered significant attention from both the public and the cybersecurity community, 23andMe, a leading genetic testing company, has recently undergone a change in ownership. The newly acquired entity, TTAM Research Institute, has taken steps to reassure existing customers about the safeguarding of their genetic data.
Following the acquisition, which was confirmed last week, 23andMe's former CEO and co-founder, Anne Wojcicki, now serves as the head of the new company, TTAM Research Institute. The organization, with a reported $305 million bid for 23andMe, has been informed to existing customers that it plans to complete the deal on July 8.
As the medical research nonprofit vying to buy 23andMe is informing existing customers about its intentions with the purchase and promising to protect their data going forward. In a letter sent to existing 23andMe customers, seen by The Register, TTAM Research Institute introduced itself and its commitment to safeguarding genetic information.
Following a year-long probe, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has since fined 23andMe £2.31 million ($3.13 million) over unsatisfactory authentication policies, insufficient access controls, and weak threat detection. The company was also required to pay $30 million in settlement for one of the class-action lawsuits resulting from a data breach that occurred back in late 2023.
The letter sent to existing customers highlighted TTAM's charitable mission to continue innovative research and scientific discoveries core to 23andMe, while expanding its active conduct of medical research and educational activities. It also emphasized customer privacy as being at the core of TTAM's mission, assuring that it would adhere to 23andMe's existing privacy policies of honoring customers with choice and transparency.
The company promised that no action was required from customers on their part, emphasizing that their data had not been moved out of 23andMe's control. They were also assured that TTAM would operate with the same employees and privacy protocols that have protected customer data in the past and is committed to continuous improvement of those policies.
Customers were given the option to wipe their data from the company's servers permanently via their account page, if they hadn't already done so.
In another development connected to 23andMe, a recent UK probe has resulted in a £2.3 million fine against the company for exposing genetic data of millions. The penalty follows a year-long investigation into flaws that allowed an attack to affect such a large number of people.
The Register also brings news of other relevant developments including the ongoing trend of supply chain attacks where organizations are 'flying blind' about dependencies. Furthermore, there's been a rise in scattered spider crime spree focusing on aviation sector with time ticking for defenders as social engineering pros weave wider web.
In addition to these recent announcements, AI and virtualization have also become major headaches for CIOs, who are now seeking solutions that can address both of these pressing issues. It has been suggested by Lenovo that storage could play a key role in solving this challenge.
Lastly, the search for junior cybersecurity staff with ten years' experience and a PhD continues, as Infosec employers begin demanding more from early-career recruits.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/23andMes-New-Owner-Assures-Customers-of-Safeguarded-Genetic-Data-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/07/02/23andme_buyer_writes_to_customers/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/23andmes-new-owner-says-your-dna-is-safe-this-time/ar-AA1HQE2C
https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/02/23andme_buyer_writes_to_customers/
Published: Wed Jul 2 14:25:10 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
