Upon hearing news of a data leak from the PMO and EPFO, the government swiftly took action, initiating an investigation by Cert-In.
On Tuesday, a social media user claimed that the data from the Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and EPFO had been leaked, prompting the government to assign Cert-In to investigate.
The user alleged on Microblogging site X (formerly known as Twitter) that documents from Chinese cyber agencies had been leaked on GitHub. In addition to other leaked documents, these included data from the Indian PMO, EPFO, and several public and private organizations.
PMO and EPFO Data Leak?
According to sources, the government is investigating reports of data breaches involving datasets from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). A senior official from the IT Ministry told The Economic Times that while they are aware of the matter, they need to verify whether the claims of data leaks are accurate. Cert-In will conduct the investigation and submit a detailed report.
Suspicions of Chinese Involvement in the Game
So far, there has been no significant progress in the ongoing investigation into the news of the PMO and EPFO data leak. The IT Ministry has not responded to requests for comments. It should be noted that on Tuesday, a social media user claimed on X that data had been leaked on GitHub by Chinese cyber agencies, including data from various organizations, including the Indian PMO and EPFO.
According to reports on GitHub, the leaked documents, allegedly disclosed by Chinese Infosec company I-Soon, reveal a spyware initiative. Social media platforms, telecommunication companies, and various global organizations are among the targets of these cyber operations. Concerns have been raised about the involvement of the Chinese government in organizing these activities.