ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered a probe into a sensitive data leak concerning thousands of Pakistani nationals, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday.
The statement came after a local broadcaster reported that thousands of Pakistanis, including federal ministers and senior officials, have reportedly been affected by a breach of personal data which was now available for sale online.
The leaked data includes addresses of mobile phone connection owners, call logs, copies of national identity cards and details of foreign travel. The records span a wide range of individuals, extending across government tiers.
Taking notice of the news reports, Naqvi tasked the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) with setting up an investigation team to look into the matter, according to the interior ministry.
“The investigation team will investigate the data leakage issue from every aspect,” the ministry said, adding the probe panel will submit its report within 14 days.
Dozens of sites were offering this sensitive data at low prices; mobile location data for Rs500, detailed mobile records for Rs2,000, and international travel details for Rs5,000, according to the Express News report.
“Legal action will be taken after identifying the elements involved in the data leakage,” the interior ministry said.
This is not the first time that sensitive information about Pakistani nationals has been leaked online, raising fears about misuse of sensitive information that may have far-reaching consequences for affected individuals.
In May this year, the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (PKCERT) issued a warning that login credentials and passwords of more than 180 million Internet users in Pakistan had been stolen in a global data breach, urging people to take immediate protective measures, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.
“The breach exposed usernames, passwords, emails and associated URLs tied to services from Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Instagram [and] Snapchat, as well as government portals, banking institutions, and health care platforms worldwide,” the advisory read.
It said the leaked database was believed to have been compiled using infostealer malware that extracts sensitive information from compromised systems.
In March 2024, a joint investigation team (JIT), formed to probe a data leak from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), told the interior ministry that credentials of as many as 2.7 million Pakistani had been compromised between 2019 and 2023.
