Swedish Call Identifying App Truecaller Rubbishes Rumors Of Breaching User Data of 47 Mln Indians

New Delhi (Sputnik): As much as the internet has woven us into its web, it has exposed us to vulnerabilities. We tend to think we are in control of our internet-powered activities, but the reality is very different. The internet is vast, especially the intentionally hidden dark web that reportedly makes up five percent of the total internet.

Swedish phone number identification app Truecaller on Wednesday denied rumors that it has leaked the details of over 47 million Indians onto the dark web.

According to Truecaller, hackers tried to sell data taken from its servers in May 2019.

“There has been no breach of our database and all our user information is secure. We were informed about a similar sale of data in May 2019. What they have here is likely the same dataset as before,” media reports quoted the company spokesperson as saying.

The data that has been exposed on the web includes names, genders, contact details contact details and even Facebook information from residents of Indian states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Madgya Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha.

The data breach was first identified by cybersecurity firm called Cyble Inc. Later news about the personal details being up for sale on the dark web for $1,000 began making the rounds on social media.

​

“It's easy for bad actors to compile multiple phone number databases and put a Truecaller stamp on it. By doing that, it lends some credibility to the data and makes it easier for them to sell," the Truecaller spokesperson reportedly added.

Started in 2009, the Swedish smartphone app available for both, Apple as well as Android smartphones, comes with features like caller-identification, number-blocking, flash-messaging and call-recording.

The app has around 150 million users in India, according to estimates.