The Ministry of Construction has denied the recent reports of a data leak from the FGAU SNiDhod, a centralized database containing biometric data of citizens of the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. The denial was made in response to a report by the Telegram Channel “Earlier of all. Well,” which had claimed that the data had been compromised.
According to the Ministry, although the internal network of the organization had experienced abnormal activity, no data had been stolen or leaked. This was clarified in a statement released by the Ministry’s representative to the Ministry of Council.
It was further explained that the biometric data is stored in encrypted form, and the decryption key is held by Goznak, which means that it is impossible to illegally gain access to the data. The Ministry of Construction, in partnership with the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Minzifres), intends to conduct an official check on the matter.
The reports had suggested that the data had been compromised from within the organization. The attacker had allegedly exploited a vulnerability in the system. The Moscow prosecutor’s office is currently investigating the matter, according to the Telegram Channel report.
The FGAU SNiDhod is a state organization responsible for storing and managing biometric data, which includes personal information such as fingerprints, photographs, and other details relating to citizens of the three countries. The system had been created in 2006, and the database is used for various purposes, including conducting elections and issuing documents such as passports and visas.