Vivifi data leak exposed the personal information of millions of Indian loan applicants. A massive data breach affected the digital lending platform Vivifi. The exposed data included highly sensitive information. This includes passports, utility bills, and salary slips.
Technical Details of The Vivifi Data Breach
- The data leak originated from a misconfigured Amazon AWS S3 bucket.
- This bucket lacked proper authentication.
- Over 36 million files were exposed.
- These files contained Know Your Customer (KYC) documents.
- These documents included sensitive personal data from loan applicants.
The Hyderabad-based Vivifi, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is valued at $150 million. Founded in 2016, Vivifi provides digital financial services. It targets clients with limited or no access to traditional credit.
Risks to Loan Applicants
The data breach poses significant risks to loan applicants. The exposed data is highly valuable to cybercriminals. They can use this information for malicious purposes. Identity theft is a major concern. Cybercriminals can easily impersonate clients.
They can use the stolen data to open fraudulent accounts, apply for credit cards, or take out loans. Proof-of-address documents, bank account details, and employment information increase the risk of social engineering attacks.
Cybercriminals can use this information to create convincing phishing emails or fake websites. These can trick victims into revealing login information and granting access to their financial accounts.
“For instance, attackers could use leaked loan agreement details or bank information to request urgent payments or account verification,” Cybernews researchers stated.
The researchers also added, “In some cases, these personal details can be aggregated and sold on the dark web, further escalating the danger and complicating efforts for victims to protect their privacy and secure their identities.”
Following Cybernews’ contact, Vivifi secured access to the exposed bucket. They are conducting an investigation into the incident. The vivifi data leak highlights the importance of robust data security measures for financial institutions. It underscores the potential consequences of misconfigured cloud storage.
