We are concerned over the leak of data of millions of Bangladeshis from government website. More than five crore Bangladeshi citizens' personal information, including their full names, phone numbers, email addresses and National Identification (NID) numbers, has been exposed from a Bangladesh government website, according to media news.
TechCrunch initially reported the breach, which was discovered on June 27 by Viktor Markopoulos, a researcher from Bitcrack Cyber Security, a computer security solutions firm based in South Africa. TechCrunch verified the legitimacy of the leaked data by using a public search tool on the affected government website.
In a report on July 7, TechCrunch, an online media based on information technology in the United States, said that the information of millions of people was leaked through the website of a government agency in Bangladesh. They conducted the search using a portion of leaked data several times, and in all instances, the website confirmed the data of Bangladeshi citizens.
According to the ministry for ICT Division, due to technical weaknesses of the website of a government organisation, the leaking of sensitive personal information of Bangladeshi citizens on the internet happened. As the site was in a vulnerable stage, the information was exposed to people.
The officials and employees of
different government organizations
will have to frame a specific policy
guideline to strengthen cyber security
There is no scope to avoid responsibility for this occurrence. Stern action must be taken against those who have leaked personal data of the citizens by hacking the NID database.
The law enforcement agencies must investigate the matter to get 'very specific’ information. There is no alternative to increase awareness and technical knowledge to safeguard information. In this regard, to keep the cyber world safe, all need to give importance to four important levels such as individual, family, institutional and society. Besides, all need to raise awareness to protect themselves from these cyber attacks.
The government should warn its all organisations to take extra security measures as different hacking groups always try to breach the system. With this phenomenon in view, the regulatory body must heighten measures to strengthen the enfeeble cyber security scenario in our country. Besides, the government organisations need to build their employees’ capacity and enhance logistics support for the security shield.
The officials and employees of different government organisations will have to frame a specific policy guideline to strengthen cyber security. A protocol for ensuring external security as well as cyber security is very essential.
The use of information technology has been increasing day by day in country’s all sectors. So, the risk of cyber threats is increasing. Therefore, the government will have to create awareness and achieve the efficiency to face unexpected challenges.
