Personal data of 46.2 million mobile users leaked in Malaysia
PETALING JAYA The personal details of about 46.2 million mobile number subscribers in Malaysia are at stake in what is believed to be one of the largest data breaches in the country, The Star reported.
From home addresses to identity card numbers, the private details of almost the entire population may have fallen into the wrong hands.
The leak of the mobile data was first reported earlier this month on online forum and news website Lowyat.net, which said it was believed to have originated from a massive data breach in 2014.
On Monday, the website "confirmed" that 46.2 million mobile numbers were leaked online.
Malaysia has a population of about 32 million people, but many have multiple mobile numbers.
The list is also believed to include inactive numbers and temporary ones bought by visiting foreigners.
With this leak, Malaysians may be vulnerable to social engineering attacks and in a worst-case scenario, phones may be cloned.
It is also said that about 81,000 records from the Malaysian Medical Council, Malaysian Medical Association and Malaysian Dental Association were also leaked.
Lowyat.net founder Vijandren Ramadass told The Star that all the information it had received on the matter was handed over to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Malaysia's police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun was reported saying yesterday that details could not be revealed as a probe was underway.
"We are working with the MCMC as this case is quite complicated since it involves telecommunication service providers," the New Straits Times quoted him as saying.
CULPRIT
"If we find the culprit, we will not hesitate to take legal action," he told the paper.
Technology strategist Dinesh Nair said there was not much consumers could do, but they should change their SIM cards, for a start.
Malaysian telco provider Digi said in a statement that it prioritised the privacy of its customer data.
"The authorities are looking into the matter, and we will continue to support them," it said. - THE STRAITS TIMES
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