China denies social security data spill

BEIJING - There has been no data breach of the social security network, a senior official said on Thursday following media reports.

The personal information of tens of millions of people was deemed "at risk" after the social security systems of more than 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland were found to have authorization issues, according to Loudong.360.cn, an online security solutions company.

Loudong said ID numbers, income, house ownership, and social security information were most vulnerable.

Hu Xiaoyi, vice minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, called for an overhaul of the system to locate any weaknesses that could be exploited by hackers.

However, he said, there was no indication of a data leak so far.

The social security network is monitored and administered by a three-tier security system, according to Hu.

However, the system may be riddled with weaknesses especially as hackers are becoming more and more adept at locating vulnerabilities, he said.

The ministry will eliminate any risks found during the overhaul, Hu assured.