COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients' Personal Data Leaked in Alleged Data Breach via Telegram: Report

The personal data of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in India was reportedly leaked online via a bot on a popular chat platform, allowing free access to users without the OTP required for the details stored on the CoWIN platform.

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According to details that surfaced on Twitter on Monday, the leaked data also includes the personal information on several politicians and journalists.

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The bot that served the information appears to have been blocked, and government officials are reportedly looking into reports of the leaked information.

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A report by Malayala Manorama on Monday states that the personal details uploaded by users to the CoWIN portal for access to COVID-19 vaccination shots were available on Telegram via an automated bot.

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Screenshots of the bot in action surfaced online on Twitter earlier on Monday, and the newspaper states it was able in independently verify the claims made on Twitter.

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The bot appears to have been taken down after the initial reports of the data breach and Gadgets 360 was unable to test that bot on the messaging platform.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients' Personal Data Leaked in Alleged Data Breach via Telegram: Report

Users could input a mobile number and a Telegram bot would respond with personal information connected with the phone number, according to a report.

Brought to you by Trickyenough

The personal data of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in India was reportedly leaked online via a bot on a popular chat platform, allowing free access to users without the OTP required for the details stored on the CoWIN platform.

Brought to you by Trickyenough

According to details that surfaced on Twitter on Monday, the leaked data also includes the personal information on several politicians and journalists.

Brought to you by Trickyenough

The bot that served the information appears to have been blocked, and government officials are reportedly looking into reports of the leaked information.

Brought to you by Trickyenough

A report by Malayala Manorama on Monday states that the personal details uploaded by users to the CoWIN portal for access to COVID-19 vaccination shots were available on Telegram via an automated bot.

Brought to you by Trickyenough

Screenshots of the bot in action surfaced online on Twitter earlier on Monday, and the newspaper states it was able in independently verify the claims made on Twitter.

Brought to you by Trickyenough

The bot appears to have been taken down after the initial reports of the data breach and Gadgets 360 was unable to test that bot on the messaging platform.

Brought to you by Trickyenough