Centre blocks websites exposing sensitive Aadhaar, PAN card information

Data breach: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified on Thursday that it has blocked several websites that were found to be exposing sensitive personal information, including Aadhaar and PAN card details. 

The step was initiated following a police complaint filed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) regarding the unauthorised public exposure of Aadhaar data, which is a breach of the Aadhaar Act of 2016. The government has affirmed its commitment to cybersecurity and safeguarding personal data in light of this incident. 

In-depth investigations conducted by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) revealed security weaknesses in the websites that were affected. The operators of these sites have been provided with recommendations from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on how to enhance their IT infrastructure to address these vulnerabilities.

“This has been taken up seriously as the Government accords highest priority to safe cyber security practices and protection of personal data. In line with this, prompt action has been taken to block these websites,” the release said.

CERT-In has also issued security guidelines for all entities handling IT applications and has directed compliance with information security practices under the Information Technology Act of 2000.