GEDmatch confirms breach that allowed police to access users' DNA information

GEDmatch, a DNA analysis site, confirmed Wednesday that a permission change caused a breach that allowed law enforcement agents to search user's DNA information.

The site has an option that allows users to select if their DNA is to be included in police searches, but users reported on Sunday those settings had changed without their permission.

The company send an email to its users, stating: "We became aware of the situation a short time later and immediately took the site down. As a result of the breach, all user permissions were reset, making all profiles visible to all users,"

"This was the case for approximately 3 hours. During this time, users who did not opt-in for law enforcement matching were also available for law enforcement matching, and conversely, all law enforcement profiles were made visible to GEDmatch users."