In Short:
Bharti Airtel denies reports of data breach, calls it a desperate attempt to tarnish its reputation by vested interests. A hacker claimed to have Airtel customer data for sale on the dark web, but provided no proof. The telco confirmed no breach from its systems. Dark web allows people to sell stolen data. Airtel maintains no compromise of customer data.
Bharti Airtel Denies Alleged Data Leak:
Kolkata: Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel has denied any breach or compromise of its security system amid reports of an alleged data leak of its customers, saying the allegation is just an attempt by vested interests to tarnish the telco’s brand.
“There has been an ongoing report alleging Airtel customer data has been compromised. This is nothing short of a desperate attempt to tarnish Airtel’s reputation by vested interests. We have done a thorough investigation and can confirm that there has been no breach whatsoever from Airtel systems,” a Bharti Airtel spokesperson said in an official statement Friday.
Airtel insiders added that the hacker hasn’t been able to provide any proof for his claim and is using this wrongly to tarnish the telco’s brand image.
Earlier, unverified reports had suggested that details of as many as 375 million Airtel subscribers, including their phone numbers, email addresses, and Aadhaar numbers were allegedly available for sale on the dark web.
A threat actor identified as ‘xenZen’ had reportedly listed a database for sale on a dark web forum and has sought $50,000 for the information.
The dark web is a part of the internet that allows people to conceal their identity and location from other people as well as law enforcement agencies. Accordingly, the dark web can be misused to sell stolen personal data at exorbitant sums.
