Incident Details
Personal data belonging to almost 20 million elderly Thai citizens was unlawfully disclosed from the Department of Older Persons (DOP) under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security in Thailand, presenting a significant breach of digital security. The disclosure was first brought to attention by Resecurity, a cybersecurity company based in Los Angeles, on January 22, and was subsequently verified by Anukul Peedkaew, the permanent secretary of social development and human security.
The breach compromised a substantial amount of personal information, totaling 19,718,687 entries, which included sensitive particulars like names, identification card numbers, contact numbers, email addresses, incomes, and personal photographs. Consequently, this security breach has led to a minimum of 14 instances of cybercrime, as the source of the breach remains undisclosed.
Incident
How Did the Breach Happen?
The source of the breach remains unknown at this time. Ongoing investigation is being conducted to establish whether the leak occurred due to internal breaches or external cyberattacks.
What Data has been Compromised?
The security incident resulted in the disclosure of personal information belonging to almost 20 million individuals in Thailand, which included sensitive data such as names, national identification numbers, contact numbers, email addresses, income details, and personal images.
Why Did the company's Security Measures Fail?
The reference page does not specify the precise cause of the security measures' failure.
What Immediate Impact Did the Breach Have on the company?
The security breach has led to a minimum of 14 instances of cybercriminal activity.
How could this have been prevented?
The page with references does not include details regarding preventive actions.
What have we learned from this data breach?
The event underscores the immediate requirement for more stringent cybersecurity protocols, particularly in the government's handling of personal information belonging to citizens.
Summary of Coverage
A significant data breach took place in Thailand in January 2024, impacting the personal information of approximately 20 million elderly individuals. This breach included the unauthorized release of personal data such as names, identification card numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, salaries, and personal images. As a result, several instances of cybercrime have already emerged due to this breach, underscoring the critical need for enhanced cybersecurity protocols in safeguarding citizen data.