Alleged data breach exposes sensitive information from Indian eMigrate portal

A hacker has alleged possession of a vast database linked to an Indian government portal designed for blue-collar workers emigrating from the country. The eMigrate portal, launched by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, facilitates the legal emigration of Indian laborers and offers services like emigration clearance tracking and insurance.

 

The hacker advertised the data on a well-known cybercrime forum, providing a sample that includes full names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, mailing addresses, and passport details of individuals who registered on the portal. TechCrunch has reviewed the listing and verified that some data appear authentic. Verification efforts included using a third-party app to confirm phone numbers and cross-referencing a sample record with publicly available information about an Indian government foreign ambassador.

 

The breach’s exact source remains uncertain, as the hacker did not disclose whether the data was directly obtained from eMigrate servers or through another breach. The hacker claims to have access to at least 200,000 user entries. The eMigrate portal reports approximately 500,000 individuals received emigration clearance in 2023.

 

When contacted about the breach, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said they are “in the process of taking appropriate action with the concerned authority.” The Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

 

The potential exposure of sensitive personal information from the eMigrate portal raises significant security and privacy concerns, especially given the portal’s role in facilitating the legal migration of Indian workers overseas.