Haryana Cyber Crime: Kaithal ARO's ENCORE Login Misused, Derogatory Posts Made; FIR Registered, 5 Suspended

A serious incident involving the misuse of an Assistant Returning Officer's (ARO) login credentials for the Election Commission of India's (ECI) ENCORE portal has come to light. The Kaithal Deputy Commissioner took to Twitter earlier today (April) to inform the public about the situation.

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According to the tweet, on April 4, 2024, an unauthorised individual or group gained access to the ENCORE portal using the user ID assigned to an ARO for the Kaithal assembly segment under the Kurukshetra Parliamentary Constituency in Haryana. The culprits then misused the access to post derogatory content on the portal.

Kaithal Deputy Commissioner in A Post on X:

An incident was reported on 4th April 2024 wherein the user ID of Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) Kaithal, Parliamentary Constituency (PC) Kurukshetra, was misused by hitherto unknown person/s to access the ENCORE portal, and make derogatory posts therein. (1/3)

— Deputy Commissioner Kaithal (@dckaithal) April 5, 2024

The Deputy Commissioner has assured swift action in response to this breach. Five individuals suspected to be involved in the incident have been suspended. Additionally, a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Kaithal on April 5, 2024. To ensure a thorough investigation, an enquiry is also underway to gather further details and identify those responsible.

The ENCORE portal is a crucial platform used by the ECI for managing election data and communication between officials. This incident underscores the significance of robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive information and systems, especially during elections.