Over 2.7 M Pakistanis’ data stolen from Nadra database: JIT report

ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to investigate the data leak from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has submitted a report to the Interior Ministry on Tuesday.

JIT informed that between 2019 to 2023, the data of 27 lakh Pakistanis was leaked with the help of Nadra offices in Multan, Peshawar, and Karachi. JIT, headed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director Cybercrime and comprising representatives of Military Intelligence and PTA was constituted to investigate the March 2023 cyberattack, in which personal information of citizens, including military officials, was accessed and stolen.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament ordered the investigation into the March 2023 cyberattack. According to the report, Nadra data was obtained from Multan to Peshawar and then to Dubai and was also sold in Argentina and Romania. The JIT recommended upgrading technology as well as departmental and criminal action against those responsible for negligence.

READ MORE: Investigation into NADRA Data Leakage Completed

Following the completion of the investigation, then-caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar received the report and directed NADRA to take action based on the findings and recommendations.

The report proposes measures aimed at safeguarding citizens’ data, including regulatory actions and technology upgrades. Compliance measures were launched following the Prime Minister’s directives.

Earlier this probe, during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, a senior FIA official revealed that some biometric records had been hacked. In November 2021, a National Assembly panel was told that the personal data of millions of Pakistanis had been compromised, allegedly due to weaknesses in NADRA’s security framework.