An internet site known as UK Visa Portal is publicly exposing the passports and selfie images of candidates who signed up and paid the positioning to acquire a U.Okay immigration visa, TechCrunch has discovered.
An nameless particular person notified TechCrunch concerning the safety lapse, saying that the web site is exposing at the very least 100,000 paperwork from individuals who uploaded their passports and selfies to the web site as a part of the applying course of.
The web site shouldn’t be affiliated with the U.Okay. authorities, and some have complained that they mistakenly paid a price to this firm as a substitute of using the official GOV.UK website.
TechCrunch confirmed that UK Visa Portal is the supply of the info leak and verified the authenticity of the uncovered information by contacting affected people to ask if their info was correct.
UK Visa Portal doesn’t have a approach to report safety points by means of its web site, nor does its web site present names or contact info for the corporate’s administration. TechCrunch despatched an e mail to the tackle listed on UK Visa Portal’s web site to alert the corporate that it has an ongoing safety lapse and to ask who in administration can settle for particular particulars to resolve the problem. Given the sensitivity of the uncovered information, TechCrunch defined that it couldn’t share specifics with the corporate’s common buyer help inbox as a result of it couldn’t assure that the uncovered information wouldn’t be misused.
As a substitute, TechCrunch heard again from the corporate’s purported attorneys and public relations agency. TechCrunch defined once more that given the character of the uncovered information, it may solely share particulars straight with the corporate’s administration, and requested that they put TechCrunch in contact with them.
TechCrunch has not heard again from UK Visa Portal’s administration. The safety lapse has nonetheless not been fastened.
Whereas the safety problem is ongoing, TechCrunch believes it’s within the public curiosity that individuals who use the corporate’s providers are conscious of the problem. TechCrunch shouldn’t be publishing exact particulars in an effort to attenuate any additional danger to their info.
It isn’t obligatory to make use of a third-party service to use for a U.Okay. digital journey authorization, until you’re retaining an immigration legal professional, and candidates ought to apply through the U.K. government’s website.
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