2.91 Crore Indians' Data Leak On Dark Web: How To Stay Safe

Phishing attacks aren't new in the online world but one such attack seems to have exposed the data of 2.91 crore Indians. In a startling revelation, the Maharashtra Cyber police claim that the data of 2.91 crore Indians have been leaked and up for sale on the dark web. This includes the data of individuals who have applied for jobs on various job portals.

Following this incident, the Maharashtra Cyber police have initiated a probe and are scanning the job portals that are suspected to be affected. They intend to know who is responsible for data theft and where the same would be used.

Given that the COVID-19 lockdown has left many without jobs, individuals are registering on job portals in search of one. And, they have shared crucial information on these portals as they look for a job. As per the Maharashtra Cyber police, the leaked data consists of name, state, email id, Aadhar card, phone number and other sensitive information of users including credit or debit card and bank accounts.

How To Stay Safe While Visiting Websites

Given that it is a high risk to get sensitive data exposed on the dark web, it is important to take some precautions to keep your data safe. These precautions are detailed below.

• When you apply job on a job portal, do not share your bank account and credit or debit card details.
• If you get suspicious calls with lucrative advertisements, do not click on the links as these can be from hackers who want to con you.
• Do not share your complete details on job portals. Also, register yourself with the website and take precautions before sharing data.
• If you find any suspicious aspect, then do not share your details and alert the police as well.

Notably, this is not the first time that such incidents have come up. Previously, during the US Presidential elections, Cambridge Atlantica allegedly accessed data of millions of Americans to create a wave in the election. And, a fake ICICI bank website was put up to share crucial user information.