The National Identity Card and registration department’s website has been hacked. The system stores biometric details of almost 19 million Nepali citizens. After the hack, the entire website stopped working.
Director general Namaraj Ghimire said the problem began about an hour ago. Engineers are trying to find the exact cause, but they have not been able to identify what went wrong yet. The system is still offline.
A few days earlier, the department had launched an online service that allowed people to register their names in the voter list. During that time, some Gen Z youths tried to take credit for creating the system. This had already raised concerns about data safety and privacy.
The hack could cause serious harm to the country. A system that holds sensitive biometric data is important for national security. If this information is misused, it can put millions of citizens at risk. It can also damage trust in government digital services.
This problem could also affect the upcoming election. Recently, the government said people could register to vote online using their national ID. The voter list needs correct and safe data. If the system stays unstable or the data is hacked, it could cause delays, confusion, or problems with voter registration. Officials now need to fix the system quickly and keep all personal information safe before the election.
