Your Aadhaar Data Could Just Be a Google Search Away From Being Misused

Beware! Your Aadhaar Data is Just a Google Search Away From Being Accessed by Anyone

By now, it is no secret that UIDAI is having a difficult time safeguarding the Aadhaar data of citizens, and the irresponsible beliefs of certain government departments in treatment Aadhaar information has merely aggravated the outcome. But what if I told you that you can admission Aadhaar card of Indians with a elementary Google search? What if only nigh anyone – even those without any hacking skills – can admission your Aadhaar details only because you had shared it with an unsecured agency? Aye, it's possible.

As scary every bit information technology sounds, we've tested the glaring loophole, and were surprised to detect that Aadhaar card of citizens from various states were left unsecured in search results, in the grade of PDFs. Baptiste Robert aka Elliot Alderson tweeted well-nigh the ominous keyword, which opens the treasure trove of Aadhaar cards and other sensitive data. All you have to do is search this on Google: Mera Aadhaar Meri Pehchan filetype:pdf

Hi @UIDAI and @ceo_uidai, it'southward time for you to forcefulness your partners to handle #Aadhaar cards in a secure style.
If you brand a Google search query with ane of this line you will observe thousand of #Aadhaar card.@UIDAI: It'due south time to admit that this is not OK and to work on a fix. moving-picture show.twitter.com/wHDlKevF68

— Baptiste Robert (@fs0c131y) March sixteen, 2018

In the search results, you'll be greeted with a list of PDF files that contain a copy of Aadhaar carte of citizens from states like Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka amongst others. I opened the second and tertiary page of Google search results and plant it littered with Aadhaar cards in the form of downloadable PDF files, sans any password prompt.

In add-on to Aadhaar cards, I also came across documents similar passport awarding forms and receipts enclosed with a copy of college degree with the applicant's Aadhaar bill of fare. Moreover, I also discovered a list of 12,127 companies based in Bihar, complete with their CIN/FCRN numbers and registration dates, openly accessible to anyone with an internet-enabled device.

Earlier this calendar week, French cybersecurity expert Robert aka Anderson uploaded a video which showcased how the updated mAadhaar app'due south security can be bypassed in less than a minute by but connecting a stolen smartphone with a PC and running a command on it. Although frightening, information technology required physical access to a person's device and a picayune coding knowledge, but the Google search method is simply baffling. I can not even fathom what else ane could discover if other search result pages are scanned after Googling the keyword.

With UIDAI unable to protect our Aadhaar information, authorities websites going on a data leakage spree every now and so, hospitals and other organizations mishandling/misusing the Aadhaar details of beneficiaries, there seems to be no respite. It's high time that the government realizes the gravity of the issue and takes advisable action, or else, Aadhaar would prove to exist nothing more than than an insanely expensive catastrophe.