The Union government confirmed a data breach in BSNL  systems, with the incident being reported on May 20, 2024. Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani disclosed the breach in a written response to a Lok Sabha query by Congress MP Amar Singh.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) detected a possible intrusion and data breach at BSNL on May 20, Pemmasani stated. While the breach did not cause any service outages, he noted that one BSNL server contained data similar to the sample data shared by CERT-In.

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In response to the breach, an inter-ministerial committee has been established to audit telecom networks and recommend measures to prevent future data breaches, Pemmasani informed.

A June report by the London-headquartered Athenian Tech revealed that the breach involved a substantial amount of sensitive data, including International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers, SIM card information, and Home Location Register (HLR) details, among other critical data. The report highlighted the severity of the breach, indicating that the compromised data could allow hackers to clone SIM cards and gain access to BSNL’s networks.

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The government’s swift action in forming an inter-ministerial committee underscores the importance of securing telecom networks and preventing further breaches. The findings from Athenian Tech emphasize the critical nature of the compromised data and the potential risks to user security and privacy.