Last Updated on 22/11/2021 by Anamika
Argentine citizens have suffered a collective data breach as a hacker compromised the government network, which then stole a huge amount of data.
This is because the hacker stole a database containing the ID card details for Argentina’s entire population of nearly 46 million people. To worsen the situation, the hacker is reportedly trying to sell the information in private circles, giving the opportunity to other cybercriminals to exploit the data for their personal use, scams, and attacks.
According to the sources, the hack took place in September, and it compromised Argentina’s register called RENAPER, which stands for Registro Nacional de las Personas. Registro Nacional de las Personas basically means the National Register of Persons.
This agency is very crucial for Argentina as its task is to provide national ID cards to all citizens of Argentina. The collected ID card data is stored in a database that can be accessed by other branches and agencies of the Argentinian government. They act as a backbone for most government queries for citizens’ personal information.
Reportedly, the very first evidence of someone breaching RENAPER came to light this month on Twitter when a newly registered account named @AnibalLeaks published ID card photos and personal details for 44 Argentinian celebrities.
The Argentine government confirmed the data leak after some days. A VPN account was used by the hacker to access the database of RENAPAR. The security team is investigating the whole situation.
