Cert-In issues advisory after data breach of 16 billion credentials, asks people to change passwords
NEW DELHI: Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) has issued a fresh advisory asking people to follow good cybersecurity hygiene following reports of a massive data breach involving 16 billion online credentials. FILE - The breach, first reported by the website Cybernews, includes usernames, passwords, authentication tokens, and metadata leaked from multiple platforms. (AP)
The breach, first reported by the website Cybernews, includes usernames, passwords, authentication tokens, and metadata leaked from platforms such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Telegram, GitHub, and several VPN services.
'This appears to be a consolidated dataset, and some of the credentials may be outdated or already changed. However, we're issuing the advisory to urge people to follow good cybersecurity hygiene,' a senior official at Cert-In, the country's nodal agency for cybersecurity incident response, said.
The advisory was first released on Monday.
The agency has urged individuals to update their passwords immediately, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), and switch to passkeys wherever possible. The advisory also recommends running antivirus scans and keeping systems up to date to protect against malware.
The cybersecurity agency advised organisations to enforce MFA, limit user access, and use intrusion detection systems (IDS) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools to detect suspicious activity. It also recommended that companies check that their database aren't publicly exposed and ensure that sensitive data is encrypted.
The massive dataset, which is believed to be available on the dark web, has been reportedly compiled from 30 different sources, mostly through infostealer malware. The dataset could enable attackers to carry out phishing, account takeovers, ransomware attacks, and business email compromises, said the Cert-In advisory.
'This is a systemic red flag,' said Gaurav Sahay, cybersecurity expert and founding partner at Arthashastra Legal.
'The breach is decentralised, harder to detect, and much more difficult to fix. We're likely to see a wave of account takeovers, especially on cloud/email services, banking or fintech apps, developer platforms, and government portals.'
Sahay added that password reuse remains rampant, and the lack of MFA on many accounts makes even older credentials dangerous. 'This is a watershed moment in cybersecurity, a reminder that the human element remains the weakest link in digital security.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Starlink to soon get regulator's final approval for India entry
US satcom major Starlink is set to clear the final regulatory requirement for offering services in India with space regulator IN-SPACe issuing a draft document for signing to the Elon Musk-owned company, people aware of the details told ET. Once Starlink signs the document-which is akin to a letter of intent and appears to be a formality-the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) will also sign and issue the authorisation. "The authorisation to Starlink will be issued soon," said a person privy to the details. After this, Starlink will be on a par with rivals Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite in terms of regulatory approvals. The company was granted a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit last month, becoming the third satcom player in the country that can offer commercial satcom services. However, despite securing the regulatory approvals, it will take more time for the company to start offering commercial services. The company now needs to set up earth stations or gateways and control centre in India, which is a prerequisite for players to offer satcom services. After setting up the ground infrastructure, the company has to demonstrate the services for security compliance and once the nod is given by security agencies that the company can launch commercial services. Getting a security go-ahead is crucial for satcom players, failing which the firms won't be allowed to offer commercial services, despite them holding the requisite permits. OneWeb got the satcom permit in 2021 while Jio satellite did in 2022 but both the companies are yet to secure the security compliance nod. These companies were given trial spectrum last year by the department of telecommunications (DoT) to test their services and also demonstrate to security agencies. The trial spectrum has now been extended for another six months by the DoT. The situation can be critical for Starlink as security agencies had earlier raised concerns over misuse of Starlink terminals in India, particularly in the border areas of Northeast region. ET had earlier reported about Starlink not cooperating in sharing details with the security agencies. This had forced the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to write to the DoT in March to investigate the matter. As per rules, satcom licence holders have to monitor all traffic, establish satellite earth station gateways, set up a control and monitoring centre in India, and all the traffic originating or terminating in India shall pass through Indian gateways. The companies are also required to create buffer zones along the international order. The DoT is soon expected to give trial spectrum soon to Starlink to demonstrate the security compliances. A few days back, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had met top officials of SpaceX, which is the holding company of Starlink, to discuss collaborative opportunities for powering the country's digital ambitions through transformative satellite technologies. The DoT is soon expected to finalise the pricing and rules for allocating satellite spectrum administratively after receiving recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The regulator had recommended administrative allocation of satcom spectrum for five years for a fee pegged at 4% of the licence holder's adjusted gross revenue. Satcom companies offering services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional ₹500 per subscriber annually, but nothing for rural users. There won't be any upfront charge or allocation price for satellite spectrum, as per its suggestions.
Mint
15 hours ago
- Mint
India's economy resilient, but global risks rising: Finance Ministry
New Delhi: India's economy remains on firm footing, but persistent global headwinds, ranging from trade frictions and policy uncertainty to ongoing geopolitical tensions, could weigh on future growth, the Finance Ministry said in its latest Monthly Economic Review released on Friday. "These external challenges could potentially impact India's growth trajectory and warrant close and continuous monitoring," added the May edition of the review. Despite these risks, the ministry maintained a largely optimistic tone. 'Overall, the outlook for the Indian economy remains positive, demonstrating resilience amid a turbulent global environment, supported by robust domestic demand, easing inflationary pressures, a resilient external sector, and a steady employment situation,' it added. Despite the external volatility, the ministry said that robust domestic demand, particularly a rebound in rural consumption, steady investment activity, and a positive shift in net exports, underpinned the economy's resilience. On the supply side, it added that the services sector continued to be the main driver of growth, while industrial output expanded on the back of 'strong growth in construction and a stable performance in manufacturing.' The report also noted a revival in agriculture, with the sector rebounding bolstered by favourable monsoon conditions and record food grain production. To be sure, in May, tensions between India-Pakistan escalated along the Line of Control following an earlier terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, injecting fresh uncertainty into the regional security environment. India accused Pakistan of backing militants, while Islamabad alleged unprovoked firing by Indian forces. The flare-up reignited diplomatic friction, though it stopped short of a wider conflict. Meanwhile, global geopolitical risks remained elevated. The war in Ukraine intensified, with renewed Russian offensives drawing international concern, while tensions in the Middle East simmered, particularly in Gaza and southern Lebanon, where cross-border exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah added to fears of a broader conflict. These developments continued to cloud the global economic outlook, adding pressure to supply chains and investor sentiment. Looking ahead, the government maintains its growth outlook for 2025–26 at 6.3% to 6.8%, supported by rising private consumption, especially in rural areas, and continued expansion in services exports. Independent forecasts by various agencies also fall within a similar range, projecting India's growth between 6.3% and 6.7% for the fiscal year. While domestic indicators have remained largely positive, the finance ministry noted that financial markets experienced volatility due to external developments. 'The significant escalation of trade tensions in early 2025, followed by a partial de-escalation in the second quarter, contributed to considerable volatility in the financial markets,' the review said. However, it said that the Indian government bond market exhibited stability and certainty in May, driven by factors such as the announcement of a record surplus dividend by the RBI and a robust growth reading of Q4 FY25. As a result, the risk premium on India's government bonds declined to 182 basis points as of May 30 (2025), it added.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
Lessons from space can help Indian auto leap ahead, says Pawan Goenka
As India races towards an electric mobility future, industry veteran Dr Pawan Goenka , Chairman of IN-SPACe and former Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra , believes the road ahead must begin with a fundamental transformation of India's automotive supply chain — starting with localising high-quality component manufacturing. 'In EVs, low-hanging fruits are already picked. We need to reach higher now,' Goenka told ET Manufacturing at the sixth edition of the Auto Tech Summit. 'India simply cannot afford to lag in developing capabilities for all major EV components — battery packs, motors, controllers, chargers, power electronics — everything. Today, the challenge isn't talent or ambition. It's scale.' Despite the emergence of hundreds of Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers across the country, Indian manufacturers still depend heavily on imports for several critical components, especially motors and advanced battery systems in the four-wheeler segment. Goenka pointed out that although battery pack assembly is now being done locally by most OEMs, large-scale motor manufacturing for electric cars remains elusive. 'Three-wheeler and two-wheeler motors are made here, but four-wheeler motors are still being imported. That must change,' he said. The Indian auto component industry recorded its highest-ever revenue of ₹5.6 lakh crore in FY24, according to the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), representing a 14.6 per cent year-on-year growth. The country also exported components worth $20.3 billion during the same period, showing India's competitiveness in global supply chains. But growth, Goenka said, is being held back by fragmentation and lack of scale. 'Multiple suppliers catering to small volumes means no one achieves efficiency. What's needed now is collaboration among OEMs — not competition — in sourcing key EV components. That's how we built scale in ICE vehicles over 25 years. We need to do the same for EVs.' He also warned OEMs not to regress to a 1990s mindset — prioritising short-term margins over long-term capability building. 'This is the time to push the supplier ecosystem forward, not cut corners,' he said. Space-age lessons for automotive scale Goenka's transition from the automotive sector to leading India's space commercialisation push has only reinforced his perspective on building ecosystems. 'Every sector change is an opportunity to learn and contribute. When I moved from cars to space, the technology complexity was staggering. But what I brought from automotive — supplier development, manufacturing discipline, ecosystem thinking — proved very useful.' He noted that while technology is unlikely to flow from automotive into space due to complexity gaps, process innovations certainly can. 'Space manufacturing today operates in batch mode. Automotive has mastered continuous flow. That's a mindset we can apply in space to scale faster,' Goenka said. India's space sector is also witnessing a parallel shift. Since the opening of the space economy to private players in 2020, over 190 space-tech startups have emerged in India, with investments crossing ₹1,000 crore in the past 24 months, as per IN-SPACe estimates. The ambition now is to grow India's share in the global space economy from the current 2 per cent to 10 per cent in the next decade — a leap that would require ecosystem-level thinking similar to what the automotive industry experienced two decades ago. Conversely, the automotive sector can stand to gain a lot from aerospace — if cost barriers are cracked. Technologies like advanced sensors, gyroscopes, anti-vibration systems, and thermal insulation, which are critical in space missions, could be translated into automotive use cases — particularly safety — if frugally engineered. 'The real challenge is bringing those costs down by removing unnecessary features and localising production. Institutions like ARAI could play a key role in bridging that gap,' he noted. Road Safety: A Cultural Imperative When asked about safety — especially for India's vulnerable two-wheeler users — Goenka acknowledged that while vehicle safety has improved drastically, the deeper issue lies elsewhere. 'Ten years ago, Indian cars weren't safe. Today, thanks to Gadkari's push, our norms match global standards. But the bigger problem is behaviour — lack of discipline on roads, refusal to wear helmets, disregard for rules. That's where we are failing.' India accounted for nearly 1.68 lakh road accident deaths in 2022, with two-wheelers involved in over 44 per cent of fatal crashes, according to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways data. Despite improved crash-test regulations and the proliferation of safer cars, India still leads the world in road fatalities. Goenka was blunt in his criticism: 'Educated people not wearing helmets — what could be more foolish? You're risking your life for what? There's no excuse. It's not a technology issue; it's a societal one.' EV Adoption: From promise to pragmatism Goenka was candid about the electric vehicle (EV) adoption journey in India. 'Three-wheelers led the charge because it made direct economic sense — more earnings, lower running costs. Mahindra's Treo helped create that ecosystem. Two-wheelers followed due to aggressive startup activity and affordability. But four-wheelers and commercial vehicles? OEMs just didn't back them early enough.' He believes momentum is finally picking up, thanks to improving products and falling battery costs. The average price of lithium-ion cells dropped by nearly 14% in 2023 globally, according to BloombergNEF, making EVs more competitive with ICE vehicles. 'New launches like the Tata BE.9, Maruti's eVX, and upcoming Korean models are changing the landscape. Once these vehicles become mainstream, adoption will accelerate. I drive a BE.9 myself — it's a joy. Costs ₹2 per km to run, compared to ₹17 for petrol. I took it to Pune and back without charging — range anxiety is no longer a real issue.' India's overall EV penetration stood at around 6.4 per cent in FY24, led primarily by electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers, which together account for nearly 90% of total EV sales. The passenger car EV segment, while growing, still forms only about 2 per cent of the total car market. Goenka expects this to change steadily: 'Let's not expect miracles. I would cautiously say 10 per cent penetration for EV four-wheelers by 2030 is achievable — provided manufacturers continue to launch compelling products and maintain pricing discipline.' He also dismissed the often cited charging infrastructure concern. 'Range has gone up so much that charging at home is enough for most use cases. Public chargers are growing anyway. That challenge is mostly behind us.' From space-grade safety principles to coordinated localisation in EVs, Dr Goenka's central message is clear: India must stop thinking small. Whether it's components, scale, or vision, the next phase of Indian mobility will demand more collaboration, deeper innovation, and unwavering focus on long-term value.
