An internet security researcher informed on Tuesday that the personal details such as phone numbers and email addresses of 70 lakhs Indian debit and credit card holders have been spreading on the dark webThe leaked directory included the PAN numbers for five lakh cardholders

Rajshekhar Rajaharia who is a security researcher by profession stated that details such as the names of the users, employer firms and annual income. And information between the year 2010 and 2019 are found which proves beneficial for the hackers. He also shared screenshots of the leaked personal details of the debit as well as credit card holders stated that hackers can utilize this information for contacting the credit card, debit card holders while continuing with the phishing attacks.

The leaked directory, sized 2GB, also discloses types of user accounts and whether they have switched on mobile alerts or not.

Rajaharia estimated that the leak might have come from third-party service providers who are contracted by banks to sell credit cards and debit cards. He further elaborated that the third- party service providers sold the information on the dark web. He is of the view that Financial information is the most costliest information on the internet.

Even though, confirmations are yet to be made whether the details of 70 lakh users are accurate or not, Rajaharia verified details of some of the users and found out that the details mentioned in many of the fields were 100 percent accurate.

These issues pile up at the time when cyber security incidents have been a continuous problem for several organizations globally amidst the pandemic.