American cybersecurity agency reports massive breach involving Aadhar data
New Delhi: In a concerning revelation, an American cybersecurity and intelligence agency, Resecurity, has reported a massive data leak involving the Aadhaar and passport information of over 81 crore Indians. The alert, issued by Resecurity, stated that on October 9, 2023, a threat actor using the alias ‘pwn0001’ posted a thread on 'Breach Forums', offering access to 815 million "Indian Citizen Aadhaar & Passport" records for sale, highlighting the alarming scale of the breach compared to India's population of just over 1.486 billion people.
According to Resecurity's report, the threat actor was willing to sell the entire dataset for $80,000. The leaked information includes sensitive details such as names, father's names, phone numbers, passport numbers, Aadhaar numbers, ages, genders, addresses, and pin codes of Indian citizens. Resecurity confirmed the validity of Aadhaar Card IDs through the government portal's "Verify Aadhaar" feature.
Additionally, another threat actor named ‘Lucius’ advertised a 1.8 terabyte data leak containing India's internal law enforcement organization's database. This leak included names, phone numbers, addresses, national ID numbers, relative names, Aadhaar IDs, Voter IDs, and driving license records, making it a more extensive collection of personally identifiable information (PII) than the previous breach.
The leakage of such vast amounts of Indian PII data on the 'Dark Web' poses a significant risk of digital identity theft. Cybercriminals could potentially exploit these stolen credentials for various scams, including online banking theft and e-tax refund frauds.
India has witnessed a surge in cyberattacks targeting government platforms. Earlier this year, the government's Parivahan website experienced a data breach, exposing sensitive data and source code of 10,000 users. Additionally, threat actors have been selling Aadhaar and passport numbers of COVID-vaccinated individuals via platforms like Telegram.
India's Aadhaar system, which has issued approximately 1.4 billion IDs since its launch in 2009, stands as one of the world's largest biometric ID programs. Aadhaar serves as a digital ID, facilitating electronic payments, online verification (e-KYC), and compatibility with various financial platforms. As of February 2023, 945 million people, constituting 60% of India’s eligible voters, had linked their Aadhaar cards to their voter IDs.
To address data security concerns, the Rajya Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, in August. This legislation aims to safeguard citizens' right to personal information, applying to digital personal data collected both online and offline, as well as data processed outside India for offering goods or services within the country.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.
The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.
Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.
The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.
Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.
Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.
Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.
He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.
These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.
On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.
Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.
In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.
Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.
For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.
Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.
_vb_21.jpeg)