Understanding Aadhaar Security and Its Structure
Cyber Law Expert Vijayashankar Explains the Authentication Process
Aadhaar has undergone changes in the way it was originally conceived and now what it is, says Na. Vijayashankar, a cyber law expert. "It was [originally] not meant to be used for KYC as we are doing now. Today it is used as a KYC instrument where if somebody quotes Aadhaar number or provides a biometric from the Aadhaar system the entire demographic details of the person is sent across to the user," says Vijayashankar. (See: Aadhaar Virtual ID System is Operational)
See Also: Introduction to Elastic Security: Modernizing security operations
Vijayashankar says the Unique Identification Authority of India, or UIDAI, could have adopted the Aadhaar virtual ID system much before. "This restricts distribution of original Aadhaar number," Vijayashankar remarks.
In this video interview at Information Security Media Group's recent Fraud and Breach Prevention Summit at Bengaluru, Vijayashankar also discusses:
- What is the need for virtual id in Aadhaar;
- What needs to change in the Aadhaar ecosystem;
- The best security practices to have to secure Aadhaar.
Vijayashankar, popularly known as Naavi, is a cyber law and information assurance consultant based in Bangalore. He is the author of the first book and e-book on cyber laws in India. He has also authored a book titled "Cyber Laws, Corporate Mantra for the Digital Era" and "Cyber Laws Demystified". He is also the founder of www.naavi.org, a cyber law portal, where he blogs regularly.
