IRCTC Website is Sitting Duck To hackware

Most of the time when you get ‘no room’ on the IRCTC website while trying to book train tickets, it’s not due to the massive rush but software which hack the site to make tickets available online. There are several websites, which are selling illegal software which claim to generate the first PNR between 10-20 seconds.

The railways’ brass is looking into it after receiving a complaint regarding the ‘serious’ issue.

A senior official said the online sale of such software raises serious questions about how secure is the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

He said the software, which can hack IRCTC’s website, can’t be developed without connivance of officials from the agency which developed the original software for IRCTC’s website.

TOI scrutinized some of these websites which sell the illegal software for which the agents pay as per the number of tickets booked per month.

The software which can book two tickets every month costs Rs 2000 while the fee is Rs 2400 per month for booking four tickets. The cost is Rs 2800 per month for booking six tickets and Rs 4400 every month for booking 12 tickets.

One of these websites —Black Ts—provides instant solution to the problems faced in running the software and also claims that its has bypassed the need for OTP (One Time Password) required for online payment while booking tickets.

Another website—tatkalsoftware.com –makes similar offers for sale of illegal software for faster booking of Tatkal tickets.

Even in the past, several cases have come to light in which railway booking agents used a software to hack into IRCTC’s website and booked several e-tickets even before the online windows started booking.

The state-run transporter has been flooded with complaints from passengers that they were unable to book tickets as the online booking often showed that the tickets were already booked.