Data breach exposes 2.9 lakh Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board's customers' details: Report
Bengaluru: A major data breach has exposed the personal information of more than 2.9 lakh users of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), according to a recent probe conducted by the Bengaluru-based cybersecurity firm CloudSEK.
The breach involved unauthorised access to BWSSB's water connection application portal, exposing sensitive user data including Aadhaar numbers, PAN details, mobile numbers, full addresses, email IDs, and payment records, the probe report revealed, as cited by Deccan Herald on Tuesday.
The compromised database was reportedly listed for sale on BreachForum, an underground data leaks web forum, by a threat actor with the username pirates_gold.
"The initial post by the threat actor specified a payable amount of $500 (approximately Rs 42,616) for access to the compromised BWSSB database. However, upon direct engagement, the actor demonstrated high level of urgency and appeared willing to negotiate significantly lower prices, indicating a potential desperation to sell," CloudSEK noted in its findings, which were shared with both the BWSSB chairman and the Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
"The post claimed that the database access would expose records of 2,91,212 users. It was explicitly stated that the compromised data did not include the user's passwords. Additionally, the post featured a few lines of sample data,” said the report, as cited by DH.
The leaked dataset reportedly contained multiple categories of information, including payment data, grievance data, application data, and system logs. The application data alone is said to contain over 2.91 lakh records, featuring full names, complete addresses, contact details, Aadhaar, and PAN numbers—details which could potentially be exploited for identity theft or financial fraud.
Despite the serious nature of the breach, sources in the BWSSB assured that the data was safe. "The entire billing data is stored in the Data Centre maintained by the Karnataka government. The 24x7 monitoring is at a high-security level and a breach of billing data was next to impossible,” DH quoted BWSSB sources as saying.
Meanwhile, BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar acknowledged the report and stated that adequate measures would follow, noting that a case would be filed with the cybercrime police. “If a breach has indeed occurred, we will identify the root cause and involve technical experts to bolster our data security systems,” DH quoted Manohar as saying.
As part of its findings, CloudSEK recommended immediate corrective measures, including conducting a comprehensive security audit, revoking any exposed or potentially compromised credentials, and removing public access to administrative interfaces to prevent future breaches.
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Former diplomat, politicians come out in support of FS Misri after he faces online trolling
New Delhi (PTI): Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who faced trolling on social media in the wake of India and Pakistan reaching an understanding on May 10 to halt all military actions, received support from veteran diplomat Nirupama Menon Rao and politicians Asaduddin Owaisi and Akhilesh Yadav.
Samajwadi Party chief Yadav wrote a long post on X in Hindi and said, such statements break the morale of honest officers who work day and night dedicated to the country.
"It is the government's responsibility to make decisions - not individual officers. Some anti-social criminal elements are openly crossing all limits of abusive language against the officer and his family, but neither the BJP government nor any of its ministers are coming forward to protect his honour and respect or discussing possible action against those who make such unwanted posts," wrote Yadav.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries teetering on the edge of a full-scale war.
Making the announcement on Saturday evening, Foreign Secretary Misri said the director generals of military operations of India and Pakistan agreed on the understanding during a call on Saturday afternoon, and the next talks are scheduled at 12 noon on May 12.
The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump in a surprise social media post claimed that the talks between the two sides were "mediated" by the US.
Former foreign secretary Nirupama Menon called the trolling of the senior diplomat "utterly shameful" and said it "crosses every line of decency"
"It's utterly shameful to troll Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his family over the India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement. A dedicated diplomat, Misri has served India with professionalism and resolve, and there is no ground whatsoever for his vilification.
"Doxxing his daughter and abusing his loved ones crosses every line of decency. This toxic hate must stop—stand united behind our diplomats, not tear them down. #StopTrollingMisri #SupportDiplomats #VikramMisri #IndianDiplomacy #NoToDoxxing," she posted on X.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Owaisi also came out strongly in support of Misri on Sunday.
"Mr Vikram Misri is a decent, honest, hard-working diplomat working tirelessly for our nation. Our civil servants work under the executive this must be remembered & they shouldn't be blamed for the decisions taken by the executive or any political leadership running Watan E Aziz," he posted on X.
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