Hackers have posted a database online that appears to contain the personal information of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens in what is one of the largest public leaks of its kind, The Associated Press reported on Monday.
The agency said on Monday it was able to partially verify the authenticity of the leak by running 10 nonpublic Turkish ID numbers against names contained in the dump. Eight were a match.
According to the report, the leaked database contains 49,611,709 entries and divulged considerable private information, putting people at risk of identity theft and fraud. Entries include data such as national ID numbers, addresses, birth dates and parents’ names.
Among the leaks were reportedly personal information for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his predecessor Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
The leak came with the message: “Who would have imagined that backwards ideologies, cronyism and rising religious extremism in Turkey would lead to a crumbling and vulnerable technical infrastructure?”
In a message on the lessons to be learned by Turkey, the hackers said: “Bit shifting isn’t encryption.”
The message also targeted Erdoğan. “Do something about Erdogan. He is destroying your country beyond recognition.”
The site appeared to be hosted by an Icelandic group specializing in divulging leaks, using servers in Romania, AP reported.