Passport and phone data of 15 million Kazakhstanis leaked online? Ministry responds

Tengrinews.kz — Information has been circulating on social media claiming that the personal data of 15 million Kazakhstanis has allegedly appeared on the darknet. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development has commented on the situation.
Database on the Darknet
Reports circulating online claim that a hacker allegedly put a database containing information on 15 million Kazakhstanis up for sale on the darknet. The file is said to be around 2.7 gigabytes in size and contain a total of 47 million records.
Note: The darknet is a hidden part of the internet that cannot be accessed through conventional search engines and requires special software. Due to its high level of anonymity, it is often used for illegal marketplaces and other unlawful resources.
According to social media reports, the seller priced the database at 0.5 bitcoin, or around $32,000. The dataset is alleged to contain citizens’ personal and contact information, including passport details, phone numbers, email addresses, employment information, document scans and passwords.
The seller reportedly claims that the database was obtained by hacking eGov.
“The investigation is ongoing” — Ministry responds
In response to the reports, the ministry said that a technical investigation is currently being conducted jointly with the relevant agencies. This includes analysing the data samples provided and determining their possible source.

“At present, there is no confirmed evidence that the e-government information systems were hacked or that the database in question was obtained directly from eGov,” the ministry said.

The ministry also noted that some of the information described in the reports does not correspond to the structure and format of e-government data.

“In particular, eGov does not store scanned copies of passports in the form described, while digital documents use a different format. A darknet user’s claim about the origin of the database cannot in itself be regarded as proof that eGov was hacked,” the ministry said.

The technical investigation is ongoing. Additional information will be provided once it is completed, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development said.
The ministry also advised citizens to follow basic digital security practices: do not share SMS codes, passwords or digital signature data with third parties, avoid suspicious links, and use different passwords for different services.