IRCTC yet to confirm hack.
By Dileep Thekkethil
If the news about the possible hack of India’s largest travel booking e-commerce website managed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is true, it could be a big setback for the Indian Railway subsidiary, which is yet to confirm on whether their server has been compromised.
According to reports that appeared in leading Indian dailies like the New Indian Express and the Times of India, website of IRCTC was hacked by cyber criminals who might have stolen round 1 crore customer data that include users Permanent Account Number (PAN), telephone numbers, email ids, Aadhaar Card, driving license number etc.
The reports claim that IRCTC was alerted about the suspected hack by the Intelligence Bureau of Maharashtra cyber cell after they found data in the name of IRCTC circulation online.
A senior railway official was quoted by Times of India saying, “Somebody can create forged documents on the basis of the stolen data.”
CNN-News18 reported IRCTC PRO Sandip Dutta saying that they got the information from the Maharashtra Cyber Police that some data in the name of IRCTC is circulating the internet. As a result of this, a committee was formed to do a thorough investigation.
He also said that until they get the report of the committee it is too early to ascertain that the data from one of India’s most visited websites was hacked.
He said, “Railway board is waiting for a copy of the date to be shared by Cyber Cell, only then can we ascertain if it was indeed our data. So far, it has not been established. The probe is on. The website is absolutely fine.”
According to experts, the data stored in IRCTC website is a valuable asset as it can be used for targeting prospective customers if sold to corporations. There are also unconfirmed reports that the hackers are selling CDs containing confidential personal data of users for Rs 15000 each.