EPFO rules out leakage of subscribers' data from government website

New Delhi: Retirement fund body EPFO has ruled out any leakage of subscribers' data from a government website.

“With regard to the news item being circulated in the social media platform that there has been vulnerabilities in the EPFO data, based on which a letter has been written to the Chief Executive Officer, Common Service Centre (CSC) to plug such vulnerabilities,” a labour ministry release said.

In this regard, it is informed that warnings regarding vulnerabilities in data or software is a routine administrative process based on which the services which were rendered through Common Service Centres have been discontinued w.e.f. 22nd March 2018. The news is relating to the services through common service centres and not about EPFO Software or data centre. No confirmed data leakage has been established or observed so far, it said.

The retirement fund body's statement came after reports had suggested theft of data of subscribers by hackers from 'aadhaar.Epfoservices.Com', a website operated by the CSC that comes under the Ministry of Electronics and IT.

The issue of data theft was purportedly raised by Joy in his letter dated March 23.

"... It has been intimated that the data has been stolen by hackers by exploiting the vulnerabilities prevailing in the website (aadhaar.Epfoservices.Com) of EPFO...," the purported letter had said.    

EPFO said that there is nothing to be concerned about the news item and that the fund body is continuously monitoring and will continue to be vigilant about it in future.