Over 1.8 million user records and at least 17,362 sets of login credentials circulating online across 15 sectors

CyberStation, the cybersecurity division of Brain Station 23 PLC, organized the Bangladesh Cyber Resilience Briefing 2026 on Thursday to highlight Bangladesh’s exposure to risks associated with data circulating on the dark web.

Held at BRAC Centre Inn in Mohakhali, Dhaka, the seminar was organized as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Around 150 senior representatives from the banking, telecommunications, technology, government and education sectors, along with regulatory officials and cybersecurity professionals, attended the event.

During the briefing, CyberStation presented findings from its assessment of 767 domains across 15 sectors in Bangladesh. The review found evidence of at least 17,362 sets of user login credentials and more than 1.8 million user records circulating online. According to CyberStation, these figures represent conservative minimum estimates, and the actual scale of exposure may be higher.

The findings identified government services as the sector accounting for the largest share of exposed citizen records, while technology and telecommunications had the highest rates of exposure.

“ We cannot address risks that we cannot see. Our goal is to help organizations understand what information has been exposed and act before cybercriminals can misuse it,” said Muhibbul Muktadir Tanim, head of cybersecurity services at CyberStation.

MJ Ferdous, Executive Director of Brain Station 23, said Cyber Station, the company’s own cybersecurity division, was built on Brain Station 23’s 20 years of software development experience. He added, “Today’s event was an opportunity to review where the country stands in cybersecurity and what initiatives are needed going forward. We must reduce our dependence on foreign software and strengthen the country’s own cyber capabilities. If our contribution can be of any use, we sincerely want to stand beside everyone in this effort.”

Cybersecurity expert Tanvir Hassan Zoha said CyberStation was making an important contribution to the field. “I have had the opportunity to use its technology. Its work can play an important role in raising awareness of cyber risks and developing effective prevention and response strategies,” he said.

Technology entrepreneur Munir Hasan also highlighted the importance of DarkWatch, a dark web monitoring platform developed by Brain Station 23. He said - “We should work together to support and advance homegrown technological initiatives like DarkWatch. Helping such initiatives grow can make an important contribution to strengthening Bangladesh’s overall cybersecurity in the future.”

A panel discussion on Bangladesh’s dark web exposure and ways to address the associated risks was also held at the event. The panelists were Professor Mohammad Shahriar Rahman, consultant to the University Grants Commission (UGC); Mohammad Shamsul Haque, head of the Special Response Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP); Md Imran Khan, joint secretary (ICT) at Bangladesh Bank; and Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, a technology specialist.

The discussion emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to prevent the misuse of exposed information and strengthen responses to cybersecurity risks.

Other attendees included Hamida Kazi, chairperson of the Department of Computer Science at BRAC University; Dr Abul Kalam Azad, chairperson of the Department of Computer Science at Jahangirnagar University; Dr Mohammad Jahidur Rahman, professor in the same department; Dr Rajesh Palit, director of cybersecurity at North South University; A K M Sajjad Hossain, additional managing director of Grameen Bank; Dr Md Lutfor Rahman, adjunct faculty member at BRAC University and former chief information officer of Grameenphone; Shafqat Mahmud Fahmi, chief technology officer of Mobil; and Colonel Md Sohel Rana, PSC (Retd.), managing director of Stream Connect.

CyberStation said it would continue working to raise awareness of cybersecurity risks among organizations and citizens and provide services to help them address those risks. The initiative aims to strengthen the ability to identify exposures in a timely manner and take appropriate action.