Jaipur: A cyber attacker group identifying itself as Scarlett has claimed to possess sensitive data belonging to Rajasthan Police and has shared copies of a First Information Report (FIR) and Call Detail Records (CDRs) to substantiate its claims.
The alleged breach has prompted a probe by the Rajasthan Police cyber team and the Department of Information Technology and Communication (DoIT&C), while police personnel have been directed to change their email passwords and update their laptops and mobile devices.
Hacker group claims massive data exposure
The group claims to have obtained 5,926 mailboxes, 8.63 million emails, more than 7,83,000 unique email addresses, 70,301 identity records, and 59,460 mobile numbers. It has also claimed to be offering data linked to DoIT&C for sale. According to the group, the dataset includes 1,065 mailboxes belonging to senior Rajasthan government officials, 69 login credentials, 21 VPN logins, and 64 VPN certificates. However, the authenticity and extent of the alleged data breach are yet to be independently established.
Police personnel directed to update passwords
Following the circulation of the FIR and CDR copies, instructions were issued to police personnel across Rajasthan to immediately change their official email passwords and update their laptops and mobile phones. An advisory in this regard was issued on October 14.
CERT-In informed as investigation begins
Cyber DIG Shantanu Kumar said the matter had been brought to the notice of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). The investigation will focus on establishing whether any government system was accessed without authorisation, how the attackers obtained the FIR and CDR copies, the number of records potentially compromised, and whether any other sensitive information was exfiltrated.
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Experts warn of potential security risks
Cybersecurity experts warn that if the claims are genuine and the dataset contains authentic, sensitive records, the information could be exploited for targeted phishing attacks, financial fraud, and impersonation of government officials. The alleged exposure of login credentials and VPN-related information could also pose security risks if the credentials remain valid or the affected systems have not been adequately secured.
