Indonesia’s e-visa system leaks personal data of tourists
Take action: The cause of this leak appears to be a software bug, and the incident is not immediately harmful since one individual would see data of only one other - so the probability of massive data theft or abuse of data is very low. But it raises questions that there may be other more serious issues in the software which may leak or expose a lot of tourist data at once, enabling data theft.
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A technical issue with Indonesia’s e-visa system has reportedly exposed the personal data of foreign tourists, raising concerns about identity theft and system vulnerabilities.
The breach occurred when tourists scanned QR codes on their visa documents, led to the unintended display of other travelers' personal details on their devices.
The breach was reported on October 9, 2024, but the issue allegedly began several months ago. Several foreign tourists, including three Australians who traveled to Bali, are known to affected. It's not clear how many others were also affected but did not report the issue.
Personal Data Exposed:
- Full names,
- Dates of birth,
- Passport numbers,
- Photos,
- Other personal details.
The full extent of the breach remains unclear, as not all visa applicants have encountered the issue.
The Directorate General of Immigration in Jakarta has acknowledged the issue and is currently investigating the alleged data breach. A spokesperson from the Directorate confirmed that the glitch is being addressed and that system improvements are being made to prevent future incidents.
