Bangkok (VNA) – Thai police are investing a hacker who threatened to release data stolen in an alleged security breach affecting 55 million Thais, according to Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn.
The official was quoted by local media as saying that significant progress is being made in the probe into the incident, in which the person named “9Near” posted on BreachForum that he had personal data of 55 million Thais, including names, surnames, addresses, birthdates, ID card numbers and telephone numbers.
The hacker threatened to expose the information if the government agency allegedly involved in the data breach failed to meet a ransom demand by April 5. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) is investigating if the personal data was stolen or leaked by certain officials.
He said that the police have narrowed down the potential suspects and the case will be concluded soon. However, the DES ministry declined to say which government agency is involved in the data theft until the perpetrator is arrested and charged.
He said security vulnerabilities could occur when state agencies that provide public services want to make it easy for people to get their services, adding people may soon find accessing services more complicated but it is for the sake of data security.
The DES Ministry on April 3 hosted a meeting on data security for government agencies that possess large amounts of data including the Interior Ministry, the Public Health Ministry and the Election Commission following the alleged data theft. The meeting aimed to ask state agencies to assess their security risks and raise awareness about the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
Meanwhile, the Thai Consumer Council (TCC) has stepped up calls for the government to do better to protect people against data theft as the incident has caused a widespread scare among consumers./.
The official was quoted by local media as saying that significant progress is being made in the probe into the incident, in which the person named “9Near” posted on BreachForum that he had personal data of 55 million Thais, including names, surnames, addresses, birthdates, ID card numbers and telephone numbers.
The hacker threatened to expose the information if the government agency allegedly involved in the data breach failed to meet a ransom demand by April 5. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) is investigating if the personal data was stolen or leaked by certain officials.
He said that the police have narrowed down the potential suspects and the case will be concluded soon. However, the DES ministry declined to say which government agency is involved in the data theft until the perpetrator is arrested and charged.
He said security vulnerabilities could occur when state agencies that provide public services want to make it easy for people to get their services, adding people may soon find accessing services more complicated but it is for the sake of data security.
The DES Ministry on April 3 hosted a meeting on data security for government agencies that possess large amounts of data including the Interior Ministry, the Public Health Ministry and the Election Commission following the alleged data theft. The meeting aimed to ask state agencies to assess their security risks and raise awareness about the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
Meanwhile, the Thai Consumer Council (TCC) has stepped up calls for the government to do better to protect people against data theft as the incident has caused a widespread scare among consumers./.
VNA
