Quick edit: Quantum leak | Mint

In the binary world that digital technology inhabits, bulbs are either on or off, statements are either true or false, and it should be easy to tell if India’s CoWin database of vaccine recipients leaked its data or not. Hopefully, cyber sleuths of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), asked to look into Monday’s leak reports, will soon offer us clarity. Till then, the case will exist in a quantum haze. The Centre called CoWin’s database secure and denied any direct breach, suggesting that data from earlier thefts being spouted by a social-media bot might have caused a false alarm. Yet, stricken individuals reportedly testified that this mystery bot took their phone numbers as a cue to cite privy Aadhaar or passport data along with exact jab dates and locations. Hoax? If not, where else such details may reside and why are worthwhile questions. While standard protocols for state-held data would be welcome, we need an update on exactly what the Centre stores about us in which databases and how these are linked, if they are. This would let us make hack-vulnerability assessments that’ll help tighten safeguards before doubt gets cast on our digital security set-up.

In the binary world that digital technology inhabits, bulbs are either on or off, statements are either true or false, and it should be easy to tell if India’s CoWin database of vaccine recipients leaked its data or not. Hopefully, cyber sleuths of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), asked to look into Monday’s leak reports, will soon offer us clarity. Till then, the case will exist in a quantum haze. The Centre called CoWin’s database secure and denied any direct breach, suggesting that data from earlier thefts being spouted by a social-media bot might have caused a false alarm. Yet, stricken individuals reportedly testified that this mystery bot took their phone numbers as a cue to cite privy Aadhaar or passport data along with exact jab dates and locations. Hoax? If not, where else such details may reside and why are worthwhile questions. While standard protocols for state-held data would be welcome, we need an update on exactly what the Centre stores about us in which databases and how these are linked, if they are. This would let us make hack-vulnerability assessments that’ll help tighten safeguards before doubt gets cast on our digital security set-up.