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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DK DC Mullai Muhilan transferred, Darshan HV to take charge; Swaroopa T K new DC of Udupi
Bengaluru, June 17 – In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle announced by the Karnataka Government on Tuesday, key changes have been made in the administration of several districts across the state, including Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
As per the official notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), Darshan H V., IAS has been appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada District, Mangaluru. He replaces Mullai Muhilan M P., who has been transferred and posted as the Inspector General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamps, Bengaluru. Mullai Muhilan will now be relieving Pommala Sunil Kumar, IAS from concurrent charge.
Darshan H V. previously served as the Additional Commissioner for Commercial Taxes (Service Analysis Wing) in Bengaluru before being posted to Mangaluru.
Meanwhile, in Udupi district, Swaroopa T K, IAS has been appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner. She replaces Vidyakumari K, IAS, who has been transferred. Swaroopa T K. was earlier serving as the Director of E-Governance, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department in Bengaluru.
These changes are part of a larger reshuffle affecting several IAS officers across Karnataka, including new postings in Bagalkot, Hassan, Koppal, Davanagere, and Bengaluru, among others.
In total, over a dozen officers have been transferred and given new postings.
