Personal data of MP’s 5 crore people at stake as cyber safety audits not held for years

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Hackers from across the country have got a golden opportunity to steal personal data of five crore people of Madhya Pradesh. Recent proof is that the official website of central discom was hacked last week, which compelled it to close their Helpline number. This caused inconvenience to the electricity consumers.

The data of 5 crore people of MP is at stake, as per state cyber crime cell. People who are not internet users have uploaded their data on CM Helpline and other e-kiosks and thus are vulnerable.

At least five similar incidents in which websites of state government departments were hacked containing personal data of residents were reported last year. When Free Press inquired, it was revealed that cyber audit in state government departments has not been conducted since a long time, making it easier for hackers to access people’s personal data.

Likewise, public service centres, schools, e-kiosks and banks’ branches in state did not conduct safety audit either.

Under Information and Technology Act, 2000, Computer Emergency Response Team India (CERT-In) has been constituted, which authorises companies and departments to conduct cyber safety audits and provide cyber security measures.

According to sources, state government framed Electronic Service Delivery Rules in 2017, after which instructions were issued to all urban units to safeguard their data. However, all of this remained in papers.

The data of people registered at CM Helpline portal, school education department, cooperative banks and health department are at stake, which may lead to more cyber frauds in the state, sources said.

Discrepancies

According to superintendent of police (state cyber cell) Vaibhav Shrivastava, state government departments purchase software from different websites and have their own agencies to develop applications and websites, which is causing discrepancies. Instructions will be issued again to conduct cyber audits in the state, he added.

Published on: Saturday, June 03, 2023, 01:58 AM IST