[News](/news) Argentinian Government’s Citizen ID Database Breached on Dark Web [Blog](/blog)[Breaches](/breaches)[Resources](/resources)[News](/news) # Argentinian Government’s Citizen ID Database Breached on Dark Web ##### [Catherine Chipeta](/team/catherine-chipeta) November 1, 2021 An anonymous hacker has allegedly leaked the entirety of Argentina’s National Registry of Persons, offering select information for sale on a [dark web](https://www.upguard.com/blog/dark-web) forum. The breach first came to light when the now-deleted Twitter account @aniballeaks posted the [personally identifiable information (PII)](https://www.upguard.com/blog/personally-identifiable-information-pii) of 44 Argentinian celebrities.  The Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER) - the National Registry of Persons, is a government database containing citizen PII from national ID cards issued to all Argentinian citizens.  [Sensitive data](https://www.google.com/search?q=sensitive+upguard\&ei=io5_YZXhFNKE4-EP166S-Ak\&oq=sensitive+upguard\&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6BggAEAcQHjoICAAQCBAHEB5KBAhBGABQtdEBWP_cAWCA3gFoAXACeACAAcoBiAHUCpIBBTAuNy4xmAEAoAEBwAEB\&sclient=gws-wiz\&ved=0ahUKEwiVzvnlyfbzAhVSwjgGHVeXBJ8Q4dUDCA4\&uact=5#:~:text=What%20is%20Sensitive,blog%20%E2%80%BA%20sensitive-data) stored by RENAPER includes: * Full names of citizens * Photo identification * Residential addresses * National ID number * Barcodes, used for internal processing [The Ministry of Interior of Argentina](https://www.upguard.com/security-report/ministry-of-the-interior-of-argentina), the government body responsible for maintaining RENAPER, believes the hacker likely did not breach the data by [exploiting](https://www.upguard.com/blog/exploit) a [public-facing vulnerability](https://www.upguard.com/blog/vulnerability).  The agency stated in a press release that they suspect the [data breach](https://www.upguard.com/blog/data-breach) occurred at the hands of an employee. The [insider threat](https://www.upguard.com/blog/insider-threat) theory is supported by the discovery that an agency VPN account was used to query the RENAPER database in the moments leading up to the initial publication of data. [In an interview with *The Record*](https://therecord.media/hacker-steals-government-id-database-for-argentinas-entire-population/), the hacker claimed to have access to every RENAPER entry. With Argentina’s population exceeding 45 million, the [data leak](https://www.upguard.com/blog/data-leak) would put Argentinian citizens at heightened risk of [cyber attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/cyber-attack) like identity theft, [phishing attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/phishing), [ransomware schemes](https://www.upguard.com/blog/ransomware), and other compromises of their personal data. ‍ ## How secure is Ministry of the Interior of Argentina? Ministry of the Interior of Argentina is a national government agency responsible for internal affairs, including citizen documentation, public security, and electoral processes. The ministry oversees provincial relations, migration services, and the administration of national identification systems. * View our free preliminary report on Ministry of the Interior of Argentina’s security posture * 13 risk factors, including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [View Ministry of the Interior of Argentina's score](/security-report/ministry-of-the-interior-of-argentina) [View score](/security-report/ministry-of-the-interior-of-argentina) [https://www.argentina.gob.ar/](/security-report/ministry-of-the-interior-of-argentina) ### Sign up for our newsletter UpGuard's monthly newsletter cuts through the noise and brings you what matters most: our breaking research, in-depth analysis of emerging threats, and actionable strategic insights. ## Latest news Stay up-to-date with the latest news in cybersecurity. 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