UIDAI dismisses reports of Aadhaar enrolment software being hacked

Aadhaar breach is yet again back in the news, this time it is said to be compromised by a software patch that disables critical security features of the software used to enroll new Aadhaar users thus allowing hackers to generate unauthorized Aadhaar numbers. Furthermore, the patch is said to be freely available for as low as Rs. 2,500 allowing unauthorized persons anywhere in the world to generate Aadhaar number at their will. The patch is a bundle of code that is used to alter the functionality of a software programme. It lets users bypass critical security features such as biometric authentication of enrolment operators to generate unauthorized Aadhaar numbers, disables the enrolment software's inbuilt GPS security feature, and reduces the sensitivity of the enrolment software's iris-recognition system.   ...so that their enrolment/updation is done only on authorized machines and their efforts do not get wasted because of rejection of their enrolments or updates . (The list of authorized Aadhaar Kendra is available on UIDAI website https://t.co/Sy2gBGp78t). ##### 24/24 — Aadhaar (@UIDAI) 11 September 2018 This vulnerability is said to be linked to the technology choice made at the inception of the Aadhaar programme, meaning fixing this and other vulnerabilities would require altering Aadhaar's fundamental structure. Gustaf Björksten, Chief Technologist at Access Now, ...