The Indian government has issued an internal advisory urging all departments to migrate from the traditional @nic.in email domain to the updated @mail.gov.in platform, following the global breach involving over 16 billion login credentials. This shift comes amid heightened cybersecurity concerns and follows the June advisory by CERT-In warning of the leak of sensitive user data from leading tech platforms.
The new email platform is being managed by Chennai-based tech company Zoho, which secured the government email services tender in late 2023. “It is advised that departments migrate to the new Zoho platform,” a source familiar with the advisory said.
Sources have said that so far, there have been no confirmed breaches of government email IDs related to the leaked dataset. However, the advisory has been described as a preventive measure to mitigate potential risks.
Phishing Incident Involving Defence Email Raises Alarm
Around the same time the breach was discovered, a defence-related government email account was reportedly targeted in a phishing attack. The compromised email contained a malicious link, prompting internal warnings to recipients to avoid clicking on any URLs or downloading attachments. Senior officials have clarified that the phishing event is unrelated to the larger global breach and is being treated as an isolated case.
Meanwhile, the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) issued advisory CIAD-2025-0024 on June 23. It alerted users to the exposure of credentials linked to platforms such as Apple, Google, Facebook, GitHub, Telegram, and several VPN services. The advisory noted that the leaked dataset contains usernames, passwords, authentication tokens, session cookies, and associated metadata, now reportedly circulating on the dark web.
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CERT-In Urges Stronger Cyber Hygiene and Zero Trust Models
The advisory recommends individuals update their passwords, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), and use phishing-resistant authentication methods like passkeys. For organisations, CERT-In urged the adoption of zero-trust architecture, enhanced monitoring of login activity, and rectifying misconfigured databases.
Authorities remain cautious but proactive as cyber threats expand. While no direct impact on government systems has been confirmed, the preventive approach signals an increased emphasis on resilience in the face of evolving digital risks.