India’s Airtel dismisses data breach reports amid customer concerns
Airtel, Indiaโs second-largest telecom operator, on Friday denied any breach of its systems following reports of an alleged security lapse that has caused concern among its customers.
The telecom group, which also sells productivity and security solutions to businesses, said it had conducted a โthorough investigationโ and found that there has been no breach whatsoever into Airtelโs systems.ย
The telecom giant, which has amassed nearly 375 million subscribers in India, dismissed media reports about the alleged breach as โnothing short of a desperate attempt to tarnish Airtelโs reputation by vested interests.โ
The companyโs statement follows unconfirmed reports of a potential data breach circulated in local outlets and social media, prompting worry among Airtelโs subscriber base.
A purported data broker emerged on a dark web forum earlier this week, offering for sale the alleged personal information of approximately 375 million users, including phone numbers, email addresses, Aadhaar identification numbers, and residential addresses.