NEW DELHI: The semi-government agency behind India’s national identity card project on Saturday denied a report by news website ZDNet that the program has been hit by another security lapse that allows access to private information.
ZDNet reported that a data leak on a system run by a state-owned utility company, which it did not name, could allow access to private information of holders of the biometric “Aadhaar” ID cards, exposing their names, their unique 12-digit identity numbers, and their bank details.
But the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which runs the Aadhaar program, said “there is no truth in this story” and that they were “contemplating legal action against ZDNet.”
“There has been absolutely no breach of UIDAI’s Aadhaar database. Aadhaar remains safe and secure,” the agency said in a statement late on Saturday.
“Even if the claim purported in the story were taken as true, it would raise security concerns on database of that utility company and has nothing to do with the security of UIDAI’s Aadhaar database,” it said.
Earlier, experts warned on Saturday that India risks a national security disaster unless the country’s identity database is made more secure.
The security analysts were commenting in the wake of a claim made by ZDNet that there was a new leak in the Aadhaar database, which stores the identity and biometric details of more than a billion citizens.
In a report late on Friday night, technology news website ZDNet claimed there was a data leak on a system run by a state-owned utility company.
ZDNet did not name the utility, but in a detailed explanation of the flaw said the leak allowed anyone to download private information on all Aadhaar holders. That includes names, unique 12-digit identity numbers, and information about services, such as the bank accounts and utilities.
All companies require Aadhaar to first match the account holder with the names in the Aadhaar database through an API to verify identity.
According to the ZDNet report, the utility failed to secure the API. Based on this, the report claimed that it was possible to retrieve private data on each Aadhaar holder, regardless of whether they are a customer of the utility provider or not, it said.
“There is a flaw in the system and the first step has been breached,” said Tarun Wig, co-founder Innefu Labs, a security services company in Delhi.
Any agency that deals with Aadhaar, including service providers such as mobile phone companies, has an API so it can match the customer’s identity with the database, Wig said.
“There is no way you can protect that first step since there’s no way to stop companies from storing the information,” he said. “What you can protect is the information associated with the number that you’re giving to external agencies.”
Banks should only know the Aadhaar number of their registered accounts and, similarly, mobile phone companies should know only the Aadhaar number of their users and not have access to their biometrics, Wig said.
He said another way to secure the system is to not let any companies hit the Aadhaar database directly — as is the case now. The browser-based API should be moved to the client’s server, he advised.
“The government has come too far to go back on Aadhaar,” said Wig. “And its benefits outweigh the cons, so now the focus should be to remove the vulnerabilities and make it more secure.”
In January, India’s Tribune newspaper reported that for 500 rupees it had bought unrestricted access to the entire Aadhaar database from anonymous sellers on the messaging app Whatsapp.
For an extra 300 rupees, it could get a software to print Aadhaar cards.
The government has maintained that the Aadhaar database is completely secure.
Aadhaar, or the unique identity number, was introduced by India’s previous UPA-led government. Initially, the idea was that all accounts that receive government subsidies should be linked with their unique identity number, a step toward plugging leaks in the system and ensuring that the subsidies went to the correct beneficiaries.
However, the current Narendra Modi-led government decided to extend that idea to all sectors — as a result, every service provider from mobile phones to bank accounts and e-wallets required consumers to link their respective accounts to Aadhaar.
That exercise is on hold while India’s top court decides on its legality.
Indian agency denies reported security lapse in ID card project
Indian agency denies reported security lapse in ID card project
Tarique Rahman-led BNP set to form Bangladesh’s next government after major election win
- Jamaat-e-Islami, banned during Hasina’s government, won 68 seats
- Majority of Bangladeshis endorsed sweeping reforms in national referendum
DHAKA: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, is set to form the country’s next government after securing a more than two-thirds majority in the first elections since a student-led uprising in 2024 ousted ex-prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
The BNP has won at least 209 seats out of the 299 contested, according to the latest election results released by the Election Commission on Friday, paving the way for Rahman to become the country’s next prime minister.
Jamaat-e-Islami, banned during Hasina’s 15 years in power, has registered its best performance yet, winning at least 68 seats and emerging as the main opposition party.
The National Citizen Party, which was born out of the 2024 protests, was in third place with six seats, including for its leader Nahid Islam, while Hasina’s Awami League was barred from participating in the elections.
The majority of Bangladeshis also reportedly voted “yes” in a national referendum on the “July National Charter” that was held alongside the general vote on Thursday.
Named after the month when the uprising that toppled Hasina began, the charter is aimed at achieving sweeping democratic reforms to prevent authoritarian administrations, including term limits for premiers, stronger presidential powers and greater judicial independence, while also proposing increased representation of women in parliament.
The BNP-led government is likely to follow the commitments made under the charter, said Prof. A.S.M. Amanullah, vice chancellor of the National University in Dhaka, adding that the implementation of the July charter was also included in the party’s election manifesto that covers reform of the state and rebuilding of the economy.
“Mr. Tarique Rahman is a highly trained politician, highly sensitive politician, and he takes decisions based on facts. I believe he prepared himself to run this country locally and play a role internationally,” Amanullah told Arab News.
Rahman is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Ziaur Rahman. He returned to Bangladesh late last year after nearly two decades of self-imposed exile in the UK, and assumed BNP’s leadership days later, following his mother’s death from a prolonged illness.
In an interview with Arab News earlier this week, the 60-year-old pledged to pursue accountability for the former leadership and meet the political and economic expectations of the youth movement that brought about the change.
The new government is likely to be a mix of young and old politicians, Amanullah said, with Jemaat-e-Islami set to balance out the BNP’s rule.
“This is a very good size of opposition to press the issues or to challenge the government on different issues, different policies and decisions of the government. I’m hopeful about Jemaat,” he said.
“The way the people voted for these major two parties, the BNP and Jemaat, I think if they could work jointly, Bangladesh should see a stable political situation in the near future.”
Mohiuddin Ahmad, a political analyst and researcher, described Jemaat-e-Islami as “the most organized party” in Bangladesh and that it would therefore play an “instrumental” role as the opposition party.
Voter turnout averaged 59.44 percent, the EC said, with many Bangladeshis considering this week’s vote as their first “free and fair” election after more than 17 years.
“Such a result of an election we haven’t actually experienced before,” Muhiuddin Iqbal, a history student at Dhaka University, told Arab News.
“The festive feeling has not gone yet, so we’re very much excited about it and hopeful for the future.”
