Online UK Visa system Security vulnerable to identity theft

May 28, 2007: Exclusive footage aired by Channel 4, exposing loophole that has made 50000 people vulnerable to identify theft, has reportedly caused ripples in the Foreign office. In an exclusive footage, the channel showed an Indian demonstrating flaw in internet visa applications to the British High Commission in India.

The loophole pointed out those details of about 50000 applicants available online is accessible to terrorists or other identity thieves. Luckily, so far there has not been a hint of any radical coming from India but there is a possibility of identity theft by radicals.

The TV channel claimed that the personal details of thousands of people wanting to travel to UK online was unsecured and available to anyone who simply altered website address.

After the revelation, the foreign office posted a notice on May 17, saying that the VFS website application system for UK applicants in India, Russia and Nigeria. Due to a technical problem VFS online application system is currently unavailable. Customers applying for Visas in these countries should contact their nearest Visa application system for information.

Lord Tries man reacting to the reported breach said, “Security is paramount in our visa system. We will conduct an immediate through and independent investigation into this reported breach of one of our commercial partners’ systems, the VFS website application service has been shut down.”

In April last year he had trouble with his application and in trying to sort out things, he discovered that he could access all other applications that had been made online. Visa processing in India has been outscored out for some years now by the foreign office to a private Indian company, VFS global.

Having determined that the information was still vulnerable, and succeeded in getting VFS Global to secure the database, Winder contacted channel 4 news. No one knows if anyone has stolen the personal data that was so freely available.