Unprecedented Data Breach Hits India
In a startling revelation, a hacker claims to have executed what may be the largest data breach in Indian history. Sensitive personal information of a staggering 81.5 crore Indians has been leaked and is now circulating on the dark web. This massive data breach is sourced from the database of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), sending shockwaves through the country. Yet, the epicenter of this alarming breach remains shrouded in mystery.
Hacker’s Findings: 81.5 Crore Indians Exposed
The breach was first brought to light by researchers from Resecurity, who uncovered a trove of data, including personal details of a whopping 81.5 crore Indian citizens. To assess the authenticity of this data, a selection of records underwent scrutiny using the government portal’s “Verify Aadhaar” feature, which successfully validated the Aadhaar information, lending credence to the breach’s credibility.
CERT-In Alerts ICMR
The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) swiftly notified ICMR about the alarming breach. The vast reservoir of data encompasses COVID-19 test information dispersed across multiple government entities, such as the National Informatics Centre (NIC), ICMR, and the Ministry of Health. The challenge now lies in pinpointing the exact source of the breach, a task made daunting due to its extensive reach.
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Silence from Authorities
As the news of this colossal data breach broke, silence reigned from the Ministry of Information and Technology and other relevant agencies. At the time of writing this article, no official response had been issued, leaving millions of affected individuals in a state of uncertainty.
Recurring Threats in India’s Medical Sector
This unsettling incident isn’t an isolated one. India’s medical sector has repeatedly fallen victim to cyberattacks. Earlier this year, cybercriminals infiltrated the servers of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), commandeering over 1 terabyte of sensitive data and demanding a hefty ransom. Consequently, AIIMS was forced to resort to manual record-keeping for 15 days, further burdening an already overstretched institution. A few months prior to this, in December 2022, AIIMS Delhi was targeted by hackers from China who demanded a ransom of Rs 200 crore in cryptocurrency.
Check Out: Jio's Satellite Services with 1 Gbps Connectivity Challenge OneWeb: Reliance Jio ExecutiveIndia faces an unprecedented data breach, with the personal information of millions exposed on the dark web. As authorities race to assess the extent of the breach and its origins, the nation grapples with a severe breach of privacy. This alarming incident is a stark reminder of the pressing need for enhanced cybersecurity measures, especially within the medical sector, to safeguard the personal data of Indian citizens.
