'60 lakh' CVs of Bangladeshis advertised for sale on dark web

A hacker group identifying itself as “madarx” has advertised the sale of CVs (curricula vitae) of 60 lakh Bangladeshi citizens on the dark web.

The group claims that the CVs were obtained from the database of Bangladesh’s job platform Bdjobs. However, the company has denied the claim that its website was the source of the data leak.

In the post, it claimed to have the CVs of 60 lakh jobseekers from Bdjobs. The CVs reportedly contain names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, educational qualifications, professional experience and training details.

According to the post, a copy of the CV is being offered for $1,000. The information will be sold to a maximum of five buyers.

To support its claim, the hacker group also published samples of 148 CVs. An analysis of the CVs showed that most of them were quite old, with a large number having last been updated between 2011 and 2017.

Cybersecurity experts have expressed concern over the alleged leak of citizens’ personal information.

Tanvir Hassan Zoha, a prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal and a technology expert, told the media that if cybercriminals obtain a person’s name, phone number, email address, address, educational qualifications and professional information together, they can create a comprehensive digital profile of that individual.

Such information could be used for targeted phishing, fake job offers, identity fraud and financial scams, he said.

Bdjobs denies data leak claim

AKM Fahim Mashroor, founder and chief executive officer of Bdjobs, denied the allegation that citizens’ information had been leaked from the platform.

He told the media that Bdjobs had prioritised the security of users’ information since its inception. In addition to taking necessary security measures, the platform has various controls governing who can and cannot view users’ profiles, he said.

Mashroor said hundreds of thousands of registered recruiting organisations on Bdjobs can use their accounts to view jobseekers’ information. However, they are allowed to use such information only for their own recruitment purposes.

If any organisation sells such information to a third party and the matter is brought to Bdjobs’ attention, legal action will be taken against the organisation concerned, he added.

Daily Sun Report, Dhaka

A hacker group identifying itself as “madarx” has advertised the sale of CVs (curricula vitae) of 60 lakh Bangladeshi citizens on the dark web.

The group claims that the CVs were obtained from the database of Bangladesh’s job platform Bdjobs. However, the company has denied the claim that its website was the source of the data leak.

In the post, it claimed to have the CVs of 60 lakh jobseekers from Bdjobs. The CVs reportedly contain names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, educational qualifications, professional experience and training details.

According to the post, a copy of the CV is being offered for $1,000. The information will be sold to a maximum of five buyers.

To support its claim, the hacker group also published samples of 148 CVs. An analysis of the CVs showed that most of them were quite old, with a large number having last been updated between 2011 and 2017.

Cybersecurity experts have expressed concern over the alleged leak of citizens’ personal information.

Tanvir Hassan Zoha, a prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal and a technology expert, told the media that if cybercriminals obtain a person’s name, phone number, email address, address, educational qualifications and professional information together, they can create a comprehensive digital profile of that individual.

Such information could be used for targeted phishing, fake job offers, identity fraud and financial scams, he said.

Bdjobs denies data leak claim

AKM Fahim Mashroor, founder and chief executive officer of Bdjobs, denied the allegation that citizens’ information had been leaked from the platform.

He told the media that Bdjobs had prioritised the security of users’ information since its inception. In addition to taking necessary security measures, the platform has various controls governing who can and cannot view users’ profiles, he said.

Mashroor said hundreds of thousands of registered recruiting organisations on Bdjobs can use their accounts to view jobseekers’ information. However, they are allowed to use such information only for their own recruitment purposes.

If any organisation sells such information to a third party and the matter is brought to Bdjobs’ attention, legal action will be taken against the organisation concerned, he added.