Mernis.tar.gz 2021
Once extracted (to roughly 6.6 GB), the database revealed detailed information for approximately 49,611,709 individuals. This included full names, national ID numbers (T.C. Kimlik No), parents' names, dates of birth, birthplaces, and registered home addresses.
The breach, which came to light around February and April 2016, saw the sensitive, personally identifiable information (PII) of Turkish citizens published online, with the file distributed through various file-sharing platforms. Key Information Included in the Leak The database contained highly detailed records, including: Citizenship ID Numbers (TC Kimlik No) Full Names Date of Birth Place of Birth Parent Names Home Addresses Gender Information
MERNIS contains personal information (Turkish ID numbers, names, addresses, family records). Possessing or distributing such data without authorization is illegal under Turkish Law No. 6698 (KVKK) and may constitute a criminal offense.
# Delete the tarball rm -f /path/to/mernis.tar.gz mernis.tar.gz
. Security researchers advise against downloading or extracting it, as many versions found on public forums and torrent sites are bundled with viruses or backdoors designed to infect the user's system Google Groups of this breach or information on how to protect personal data? AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
Data breaches have transformed from isolated IT incidents into major geopolitical and national security crises. Among the most significant breaches in internet history is the exposure of a file known globally as . This compressed archive contained the highly sensitive personal data of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens.
: A .tar.gz file is a compressed archive created by the tar utility and then compressed using gzip . Once extracted (to roughly 6
As one of the world's first e-Government projects, MERNIS aimed to modernize and streamline civil registration services for all citizens. Its core functions include:
The leaked data includes specific Personal Identifiable Information (PII) for nearly two-thirds of the Turkish population: National Identifier Number (TC Kimlik No). (First and Last). Parents' Names (Mother's and Father's first names). Date and City of Birth Full Address (including registration city and district). Context and Significance Turkish authorities 'probing huge ID data leak' - BBC News
. It was famously hosted on a site with a Romanian IP address and distributed via peer-to-peer torrent networks Google Groups Significance: The breach, which came to light around February
Do not open, share, or copy the file. Report the incident to your IT security team or the relevant data protection authority.
The easiest way is to use dedicated archive tools that can directly open both the .tar archive and the .gz compression:
Move the file to a sandbox environment (a virtual machine with no network access or an isolated container).
(an acronym for Merkezi Nüfus İdaresi Sistemi , or Central Population Administration System) is a centralized database managed by the Turkish Directorate General of Population and Citizenship Affairs. The system was developed to digitize population records, replacing paper-based logs with a sophisticated digital infrastructure.
