In recent days, a database containing 65 million records taken from Renaper has been uploaded to a specialized forum for the buying and selling of personal data. This follows an earlier leak of a file containing 116,459 photos of Argentine citizens from the same entity. The Government has denied any involvement in the hack, stating that technical teams from Renaper and cybersecurity company DANAIDE SA have confirmed no breach of the organization’s database.
According to cybersecurity expert Cristian Borghello, the leaked data includes a significant portion of Renaper’s internal systems’ source code, exposing user passwords in plain text and connections to other companies. The leaked information extends until June 2022 and includes not only citizen data but also connectivity data to other entities.
The leaked data from Renaper includes personal information, documents, SMS from coronavirus records, and even a file containing information on military ranks. The access to internal accounts lasts until June 2022, with a large number of system users having the password ‘1234.’ This kind of personal data is often used for cybercrimes like identity theft.
The Government denies that such a massive amount of data could be gathered without detection, citing the infrastructure required to obtain information on 65 million people. However, this individual has also shared data from Nosis users last week and a set of files containing images of Argentine driver’s licenses earlier this week. Celebrities’ driving licenses, including the President of the Nation and several officials, were included in these leaked files.
As such concerns about privacy continue to grow amidst increasing digitization efforts globally, it is crucial that individuals and organizations take proactive measures to protect their personal information online.