Jio user data leak: Why you should be worried

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Jul 11, 2017, 6:22 PM IST

Jio data leak could put your personal data at risk.
Jio has refuted the claim and called it unauthentic. 
Meanwhile, the site that had put up users' details in public domain has been suspended. 

Reliance Jio that has been hitting headlines for lucrative plans, free 4G datahas found itself embroiled in a new controversy. And, a pretty serious one. A recent report claimed that Jio user data including their own, has been leaked on a website named magicapk. Soon many on twitter took to reveal that it has been the case. The site magicapk.com went down within hours, probably as people thronged to find their details, and eventually was suspended.

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The data leak was first reported by FoneArena, revealing that a user’s personal data including first and last name, email ID, mobile number, Aadhaar card and SIM activation date is available online on magicapk.com.

Also Read: Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan 4G plans updated: 56GB at 309, 84GB at Rs 399 and more

Considering Jio has 120 million subscribers, it was being termed as one of the biggest data breaches. However, it is believed to have largely impacted users who subscribed to the preview offer and not those who have joined recently.

While Reliance initially called the report 'unauthentic' and said that an investigation would be conducted, a new report now reveals some more details. According to report in The Economic Times, EY has been roped in Jio for further investigation. According to the EY probe it has been revealed that the alleged breach is from the vendor’s side as the telco’s apps and sites were secure. Jio has reportedly also filed an FIR with the cyber crime cell of Navi Mumbai Police. The latest report claims that Maharashtra Police has detained a 35-year-old computer science dropout from Rajasthan for his alleged involvement in customer data leak.

How does it affect you?

Irrespective of whose fault it was, it is consumer data that is at risk. Now, email ID is one of the most crucial factors these days. It is linked to our social accounts, banks and eventually linked to a lot of private and sensitive data. The email ID clubbed with your complete name and other details could prove to be quite dangerous and serve as a mine of lucrative data for malicious minds. And, let's not forget phishing scams and spam that you could be targeted to. Similarly, the mobile numbers could prove to be a mine for hackers. Consumers had activated their account using their Aadhaar details. In case Aadhaar details were leaked, then it could again be dangerous as it is becoming a crucial document and serves as a unique identity linked to your biometric data.

Cyber security is a problem that is going to get even bigger with passing years. As our lives go digital, malicious minds will find a way to cash in on vulnerabilities. While government initiatives around cyber security awareness and adding it to school curriculum would make a significant difference with respect to user awareness, companies need to take this seriously. Moreover, we need stronger rules around online data privacy.

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