How Temu's Data Ended Up on the 'Dark Market'

Data breach has occurred at the online retail store 'Temu', involving 82 million customer records, including from Armenia. Cybersecurity expert LeVon Isajanyan reported that the leaked data includes UserId, Username, e-mail, address, IP address, Gender, Phone Number, and DOB. He stated, "There are other data that are in a hashed state or at other Boolean levels, which cannot be identified until the entire data repository is available." The Personal Data Protection Agency has urged Temu users to change their passwords.

Media expert Samvel Martirosyan told NEWS.am that there exists a 'dark market' where data is sold. Hackers frequently breach websites, obtain user data, and sell it. He added, "In this case, the data repository of Temu appeared on the dark market, which contained not very sensitive information; that is, email addresses were present, but bank card information, passport details, and passwords were not among them, all of which were put up for sale."

Despite the online store's representatives denying information about the breach, Martirosyan stated there is a possibility that the team may be unaware or has not located the breach. He continued, "But the leak did come from Temu, and there is also a possibility that the seller collected the data from somewhere else and decided to sell it as Temu's. It is also likely that a different site was actually breached and that data is being sold as related to Temu. As Temu has gained notoriety, such data can be sold for a higher price."

According to the media expert, such leaks occur frequently and from quite serious sites.