The dark web is the underworld of the internet. It is a place of crime in the cyber world where anything illegal like drugs, weapons, gambling, sex trade, hiring of hired killers, human trafficking can be done and sold.
A recent crime that has been taking place on the dark web is selling people’s personal information. Data of billions of people, stolen from social media and government institutions, has been made available on the dark web several times. In this way, the personal information of 750 million telecom users in India has come up for sale on the dark web.
The shocking revelation was made by the cyber security firm CloudSEK. The data leak was discovered in their AI digital risk platform, XVIG. Important information including names, mobile numbers, addresses and Aadhaar details were leaked. This massive 1.8 terabyte (1.8 TB) database is being sold by the cybercriminal group CyboDevil and UNIT8200.
This is one of the biggest data breaches in the country. According to the Cloudsec report, the breach affected 85 percent of India’s population and the criminals demanded $3,000 to acquire the hacked data.
After initial analysis of the sample dataset, Cloudsec reveals that all telecom service providers in India were affected by the data breach. This breach can lead to financial loss, identity theft, defamation, and an increased risk of cyber attacks.
Be wary of suspicious emails, texts and phone calls. Do not click on links or attachments from unknown senders. Beware of any requests for personal information. Monitor bank accounts regularly. Check bank statements and credit reports regularly. Enable two factor authentication feature on social media. This adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts.