UK Visa Portal Exposes Thousands of Applicants' Passports and Selfies Online

A glaring security lapse at UK Visa Portal, a website that helps people apply for U.K. immigration visas, has left thousands of applicants' sensitive documents exposed online. The website, not affiliated with the U.K.

government, has been publicly showcasing passports and selfie photos of individuals who signed up and paid for its services. An anonymous tipster alerted TechCrunch to the breach, claiming that at least 100,000 documents were vulnerable due to the website's lax security measures. These documents were uploaded by applicants as part of the visa application process.

Some users have reportedly expressed frustration after mistakenly paying a fee to UK Visa Portal instead of using the official GOV.UK website. TechCrunch verified the authenticity of the exposed data by reaching out to affected individuals, who confirmed the accuracy of the information. However, UK Visa Portal's website lacks a mechanism for reporting security issues and does not provide contact information for its management team.

In an effort to alert the company to the breach, TechCrunch emailed the address listed on the website, requesting to speak with someone in management who could address the issue. Rather than hearing back from the company's management, TechCrunch was contacted by UK Visa Portal's purported attorneys and public relations firm. Despite reiterating the need to speak directly with management due to the sensitive nature of the exposed data, TechCrunch has yet to receive a response.

The security lapse remains unresolved. Given the ongoing security risk, TechCrunch believes it is essential to inform users of UK Visa Portal's services about the issue, while refraining from publishing specific details to minimize further risk. It is worth noting that applicants do not need to use a third-party service to apply for a U.K.

electronic travel authorization, unless they are working with an immigration attorney. The U.K. government's website remains a secure and recommended channel for applicants.