As per the reports of a US-based cybersecurity firm named Resuecurity, there has been a massive leak of information about 815 million Indians on the dangerous dark web, including names, phone numbers, addresses,aadhar, and passports currently for sale.
This information was extracted from the COVID-19 test reports of the citizens. Data breaches like this, when they get into the hands of cybercriminals, could be used for malicious purposes. The impact of such a breach is exceptionally devastating to individuals as this can cause several big problems like financial loss, damage to credit score, and emotional distress. They can also be used to copy identity, a prominent criminal issue, or even used for fauly trading purposes.
When Did It Begin?
This started when a threat actor named pwn0001 gained access to 815 million “Indian citizen Aadhar and passport” records. The entire population of India is over 1.486 billion, so a leak of 815 million is more than half the entire population, which adds significant concerns for everyone.
From another perspective, this is about ten times the total population of small countries like Iran, turkey, or Germany. Sources also say that people have contacted the hackers and are planning to buy the records for $80,000. Media records state that the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) is currently investigating the entire matter and trying to resolve the issue. To control the damage, they have launched the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
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However, this is not the first time data so crucial has been leaked. Earlier this year, in June, the Government launched an investigation regarding the CoWin message leak. This included the personal data of Vaccinated citizens, including the VVIPs.This information was leaked on the Telegram messenger channel or Dark Web.