Several internet users, including cybersecurity experts, have taken to X (formerly Twitter), posting screenshots of an alleged data breach at Airtel, one of India’s largest telecom companies. The screenshot comes from the recently relaunched BreachForums, where a threat actor under the moniker ‘xenZen’ posted about the breach while also putting up sample data. The full data set is reportedly being sold for $50,000.
The tweets further claim that xenZen’s account was suspended after the post was made. According to the screenshots attached, the data included sensitive information including but not limited to names, mobile numbers, physical addresses, parents’ names, address and identity proofs, and Aadhaar card details. The post seems to have been removed from BreachForums at the time of writing, and Candid.Technology couldn’t independently verify its existence.
While Airtel hasn’t made a public statement about the breach yet, it has denied it in statements to multiple publications. According to MoneyControl and 91Mobiles, an Airtel spokesperson claimed that “basis preliminary investigation we can confirm that there has been no data breach whatsoever of Airtel’s system.”
Another point of concern is the hacker’s claim of having successfully sold a database of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ diplomatic password holders. This was a previously unreported hack, and the government did not disclose the breach. If true, this could mean a compromise of government systems that may have gone unnoticed.
The claims of the Airtel breach come mere weeks after Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) suffered a critical data breach, leaking 278 GB of operational data that could be used to clone the carrier’s SIM cards. The data stolen from the breach was priced at $5,000, and it was the second instance of a data breach at BSNL in the last six months.
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