CoWIN Hack Reportedly Exposes 150 Million User Data; Authorities Call It Fake

Reports of CoWIN hack have been circulating on the internet; the Indian Government has ridiculed such claims. The CoWIN portal, a platform used for registering for the COVID-19 vaccine, is completely safe and secure, the Indian Government said. The reports of the CoWIN hack 'appear to be fake', the government assured.

CoWIN Hack: What Happened?

For the unaware, CoWIN is the portal that Indians require to register to get the COVID-19 vaccination. To register, users need to provide their details like name, age, phone number, address, and even their Aadhaar card or other ID card information. The CoWIN portal is the gateway to get a slot for the vaccination, which is currently open for those 18 years and above in the country.

Reports of the CoWIN platform being hacked have been doing rounds, exposing millions of registered users' data and other important details, including their Aadhaar card. The CoWIN hack has supposedly exposed 150 million registered Indians' data at risk. Moreover, this sensitive information is reportedly up for sale on the dark web.

CoWIN Hack: Government Denies, Calls It Fake

However, the Indian government has denied all reports of the CoWIN hack, calling it fake news. Dr. R S Sharma, Chairman of the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration (EGVAC) said, "There have been some unfounded media reports of the CoWIN platform being hacked. Prima facie, these reports appear to be fake."

.@MoHFW_INDIA & Chairman, Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration(EGVAC) debunk news of hacking of #CoWIN

Co-WIN stores all vaccination data in a safe & secure digital environment. No data is shared with any entity outside the Co-WIN environment

Read: https://t.co/urYaJje8lN

— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 10, 2021

Nevertheless, the Indian government would still investigate the matter, the official said. The CoWIN hack, whether fake or not, will now be investigated by the Computer Emergency Response Team, which is believed to be the government's best counter-hacking group under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

"The Health Ministry and the EGVAC are getting the matter investigated by the Computer Emergency Response Team of MietY," the government said in a media statement. The government has continued to stress that no data has been shared outside the digital system.

That said, the CoWIN portal API allows any third-party apps to access certain unrestricted data that can be shared with users. However, this is again limited to read access in the CoWIN. This further means that the limit of access will be limited, ensuring that the data will remain safe.

(via)