According to the ZDNet report, personal data of 44 million people were found online as a part of a huge data dump by some hackers. The news website received a sample of 55 million user records that were part of the 115 million data dump. The personal data found online included customers’ full names, home addresses, National identification numbers, mobile phone numbers, landline numbers, and date of subscriptions.
The vast number of entries in leaked data belonged to Jazz mobile users.
ZDNet further reported that the vast majority of entries in the leaked files contained mobile phone numbers belonging to the Pakistani mobile operator Jazz, formerly known as Mobilink. However, there were also phone numbers that belonged to other Pakistani mobile operators. The report concluded based on actual and tangible evidence that the leaked data was taken from Jazz servers. However, it is not clear if the data was taken from Jazz itself, a government organization, a Jazz partner, or a telemarketing firm.
The online news website, ZDNet, also verified the validity of the leaked data with multiple Pakistani users. The details of leaked data matched public records and public phone numbers listed on companies’ websites.
The hack is currently being investigated in Pakistan.
According to the news report, the matter is currently under investigation in Pakistan by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). These agencies are looking into the matter since last month when a hacker first tried to sell the details of 115 million batch on a hacker forum in exchange for bitcoin. Cyber threat intelligence company Rewterz was the first to spot the ad on the forum last month and analyzed that the data on sale was authentic. However, the intelligence company avoided blaming Pakistani mobile operator Jazz because of a lack of evidence.
