IRCTC website not hacked, officials clarify after data leak scare

Contrary to primary reports, the IRCTC officials have issued a clarification stating that the website was in fact, not hacked. The confusion arose because of circulation of data that was in circulation over the past couple of days.

The website of the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was rumoured to have been hacked late in the night on 4 May. It was feared that valuable personal information belonging to it's 1 crore users may have been leaked as a result.

India's largest e-commerce website IRCTC sees lakhs of transactions everyday, with thousands of customers registering with their personal details, including their date of birth, PAN card details, and email ids. A leak of such a magnitude could be hazardous to the safety and security of the numerous users of IRCTC's services.

Although it has been reported that the hacking situation is now under control, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that no essential data has been leaked. The cyber cell of the Delhi Police has been alerted in order to ascertain the exact extent of hacking, and how much information has been extracted.

A K Manocha, Managing Director of IRCTC, has revealed that no customer complaint has been received yet in connection with the leaked information.