Millions of Airtel users' data at risk? Telco denies breach
A hacker, known as xenZen, has claimed possession of personal data belonging to 375 million Airtel customers. The claim was first publicized by an account on X named FalconFeeds.ai, which shared a screenshot of a forum post from BeachForums where the hacker offered the alleged data for sale. Despite the ensuing buzz, Airtel swiftly denied any breach in its systems following the hacker's claim, dismissing it as an attempt to tarnish the telco's reputation.
Airtel claims no evidence of security breach
In a conversation with Moneycontrol, an Airtel spokesperson stated, "There has been a report alleging that Airtel customer data has been compromised. This is nothing short of a desperate attempt to tarnish Airtel's reputation by vested interests." The spokesperson further confirmed, "We have done a thorough investigation and can confirm that there has been no breach whatsoever from Airtel systems."
Alleged stolen data contains personal details
The hacker allegedly possesses data including mobile numbers, names, dates of birth, father's names, addresses, email IDs, gender and nationality information, Aadhar numbers, photo ID proof details and address proof details. However, it remains unconfirmed whether this data is indeed in the hacker's possession. Despite Airtel's denial of a system breach, it is crucial for individuals to follow best possible cybersecurity practices. They should use strong and unique passwords, enable 2FA whenever possible, and be cautious of suspicious URLs.
