Bihar Man Nabbed for CoWIN Data Leak on Telegram

BIHAR: Delhi Police Special Cell's Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit has made an arrest in connection with the suspected data breach of the CoWIN portal. A man from Bihar was apprehended, and a juvenile was also taken into custody. The arrested individual allegedly uploaded the data on the social media platform Telegram. According to the police, the suspect's mother is a health worker in Bihar.

The case came to light when reports emerged last week regarding a potential breach of data belonging to individuals registered on the CoWIN platform. It was discovered that the data had been accessed by a Telegram bot, which exposed sensitive information such as gender, date of birth, Aadhaar card details, address, and vaccination center.

In response to the incident, the government initiated an investigation into the data breach on June 13. The leaked data reportedly included information about vaccinated citizens, including prominent individuals. According to the health ministry, the CoWIN website, which serves as a comprehensive repository for vaccination data, is said to have robust privacy safeguards in place. The ministry dismissed social media reports claiming that individuals' data could be accessed through a Telegram bot without requiring their mobile number or Aadhaar number, labeling such claims as baseless and mischievous.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, commented on the situation via Twitter, suggesting that the data accessed by the bot may have been obtained from databases other than CoWIN. He further mentioned that the government is currently reviewing the security measures of the CoWIN portal, adding that there is no evidence to suggest a direct breach of the CoWin app or database.

The CoWIN portal was launched by the central government in January 2021 as a digital platform to facilitate the registration and monitoring of the COVID-19 vaccination program. It is owned and managed by the Union Health Ministry.

The arrest and apprehension in Bihar are significant steps in the ongoing investigation into the CoWIN data breach. Authorities are working to ensure the security and integrity of the vaccination data, and the government is actively reviewing the existing security systems of the CoWIN portal to prevent future incidents.

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