Hacker reportedly selling 2m data records stolen from Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population

The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population reportedly suffered a major data breach that involved a threat actor stealing approximately two million data records and offering them up for sale to the highest bidder.

The news came to light when FalconFeedsio, a cyber security expert active on Twitter, uploaded a screenshot from the threat actor’s post on the dark web on July 25. According to the post, the unnamed threat actor, who listed the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population as a victim on July 23, is in possession of almost 2 million data records, dated between 2019 and 2023.

The post suggests that the hacker is in possession of the sensitive personal information of Egyptian citizens, such as their names, IDs, national numbers, phone numbers, addresses, procedure details, diagnoses, details on the treatment, and more.

According to Infosecurity Magazine, the hacker also shared a sample database containing details of around 1000 individuals as proof of the data theft. In fact, the threat actor is believed to be responsible for selling millions of data records following several breaches in 2021 and 2022.

Cyber threat intelligence provider SOCRadar said that the cybercriminal is “known for selling databases that allegedly belonged to Indonesian entities last week, also directed potential buyers to contact them through the Telegram messaging app. Evidence points to financial gain as the primary motivation behind these actions.”

The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has so far not issued a formal statement concerning the threat actor’s claims, so the authenticity of the claims can not be verified.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Chinese hackers targeted Kenya’s government in a widespread, years-long series of digital intrusions against key ministries and state institutions. According to sources, the cyber attacks were aimed to gain information on debt owed to Beijing by the East African nation. Kenya is a strategic link in the Belt and Road Initiative - President Xi Jinping’s plan for a global infrastructure network.

Refuting such claims, China’s foreign ministry said it was "not aware" of any such hacking, while China’s embassy in Britain called the accusations "baseless", adding that Beijing opposes and combats "cyberattacks and theft in all their forms."