CoWin breach: What sensitive data of yours may be part of this leak? | Digit

CoWin data breach is in the news since yesterday and although the Govt. has brushed off the incident as not concerning, there has been a leak and the data in it is very sensitive. This includes your personal information like phone number, Aadhaar number, etc. Here, we have listed down all the data that are part of this leak:

CoWin data leak: What personal details are exposed to threat actors?

The personal information you used to sign in and book a vaccination slot through CoWin is part of the leaked database accessible through a Telegram bot. If you visit the CoWin FAQ section, you can see the following data are treated as valid ID proof for registering on the CoWin portal:

If you are 18 years or above

Aadhaar Card

PAN Card

Driving License

Passport

Voter ID (EPIC)

Ration Card with Photo

NPR Smart Card

Unique Disability Identification Card (UDID)

Pension Passbook

Also Read: Google Pay lets you activate UPI using Aadhaar: Here’s how it works

If you are 12 years and above 

Aadhaar Card

PAN Card

Passport

Ration Card with Photo

Unique Disability Identification Card (UDID)

Student Photo ID card

So, any of these data could be part of this leak. So far, we have heard about data like the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number, ID card details, mobile phone number, gender, date of birth, and the name of the vaccination centre, etc.

Also Read: Government refutes CoWin data leak rumours: Here’s clarity on what actually happened

How does the CoWin Telegram bot work?

The bot named truecaller***** was available in a Telegram channel called Hak*****. Once you were part of this channel, you just have to enter the phone number or Aadhaar details to fetch the rest of the details about the person that is available in the leaked CoWin database.

It is not currently available since the government took it down around 9 AM yesterday.

There are several Opposition leaders which include:

1. Rajya Sabha MP & TMC Leader Derek O’Brien

2. Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram

3. Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh & K.C. Venugopal@derekobrienmp @PChidambaram_IN @Jairam_Ramesh @kcvenugopalmp

(2/7) pic.twitter.com/JnD5EKhPBO

— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) June 12, 2023