"Take swift action, initiate thorough investigation": Congress MP to PM Modi after US firm indicates data breach sourced from ICMR
Nov 13, 2023
New Delhi [India], November 13 : Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising an issue of the security and integrity of the Indian citizens after an alert from the American cyber security company regarding the alleged breach of personal data of over 81 crore citizens.
In the letter to the PM, Tagore said that the alarming revelation has raised serious questions about the security and integrity of the citizens' sensitive data.
This came following reports about the American cyber security and intelligence agency Resecurity's October 15 alert on the alleged data leak of over 81 crore Indians' Aadhaar and passport information along with names, phone numbers and addresses with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
However, the Central Government is yet to respond to the revelations made by the American company.
"According to their report, personally identifiable information of 815 million Indian citizens, including Aadhaar numbers and passport details, has been compromised and is being sold on the dark web. This alarming revelation has raised serious questions about the security and integrity of our citizens' sensitive data," the Congress MP said in his letter.
He further said that there is a significant lapse in data protection measures in the country as the data appears to be valid.
"The fact that this data is being offered for sale at a mere $80,000 is not only a grave violation of privacy but also a matter of national security. What is even more disconcerting is that the data appears to be valid, which suggests a significant lapse in our data protection measures," he said.
Resecurity also mentioned that the threat actors claimed this data was sourced from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
"It is disturbing to note that the ICMR has been the target of numerous cyber-attack attempts, with 6,000 incidents reported just last year," he said, adding that such repeated security breaches at a critical institution are a matter of great concern and demand immediate attention.
"I kindly request that the government take swift and decisive action to address this situation. The protection of our citizens' personal data is of utmost importance, and any compromise in this regard should not be taken lightly. I urge you to initiate a thorough investigation into this matter and ensure that those responsible for this breach are held accountable," Manickam Tagore said.
Notably, the Resecurity, in its report also said that the threat actors selling the data claimed it was sourced from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which has been subjected to numerous cyber-attack attempts with 6,000 incidents being reported last year alone.
