Aadhar cards are an essential document for Indians. It is mandatory for Indians to have and they hold all our essential information. We have come across really shocking and worrying news that reveals that the Aadhar data of several Indians has been leaked. Read along to find out more about this data breach.
Resecurity, a US-based cybersecurity firm, has revealed that the personally identifiable data of over 815 million Indians, that is 81.5 crore Indians, has been leaked on the dark web, according to a Business Standard report. Hacker pwn0001 was the one to spot the data breach.
Also read: Do old Aadhaar card users need to update their documents: Here’s what you should know
Resecurity wrote in their blog post, “On 9 October, a threat actor going by the name ‘pwn0001’ posted a thread on Breach Forums brokering access to 815 million “Indian Citizen Aadhaar & Passport” records.” Notably, India’s entire population is over 1.486 billion people.”
The Aadhar card details, names, phone numbers, addresses, and passport information of 81.5 crore Indians are on sale on the dark web, as per the report. Further, when the HUNTER (HUMINT) unit investigators of Resecurity made contact with the data breaches, they quoted $80,000 to sell the entire Aadhaar and Indian passport database.
Also read: How to update your Aadhaar address online in less than 10 steps
This is one of the biggest data breaches that India has seen, according to a hacker on X. Further, a News18 report revealed that this data could have been picked up from the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) database.
Media reports suggest that the Central Bureau of Investigation has been roped in to investigate this case and find solutions for it.
This isn’t the first time India has found itself in such a position. Back in June, the personal data of vaccinated citizens was breached and leaked via Telegram.
