DLT suspends three agency accounts after vehicle data leak

Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) has temporarily suspended user accounts belonging to three government bodies after suspicious IP addresses were found conducting unusual searches of vehicle registration records.

The accounts were linked to the municipal enforcement unit of the Bangkok Noi District Office, the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) and the Surasee Force.

DLT director-general Sorapong Paitoonphong said the action followed an announcement by Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat on the leak and the detection of abnormal searches originating from the three accounts. 

The Transport Ministry ordered the accounts to be suspended temporarily and asked cyber police to investigate searches involving prominent individuals.

All agencies connected to the DLT’s databases through its e-Service system have also been instructed to reset their passwords to limit further damage.

Public warned about possible scams

Sorapong sought to reassure the public that the exposed records contained only basic information and could not be used to conduct transactions without identity verification.

He nevertheless warned that scammers could cite a person’s vehicle details to make fraudulent approaches appear credible.

“If you receive a message or telephone call from someone claiming to be an official, do not click any links, download an unfamiliar application or conduct any financial transaction under any circumstances,” he said.

The DLT’s Information Technology Centre has worked with relevant authorities, including the National Cyber Security Agency and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, also known as the cyber police, to contain the incident.

The department said abnormal access channels were blocked immediately and that the incident had been contained by Wednesday (August 5), when the information was publicly disclosed.

Data-sharing arrangements face review

The DLT is preparing to review its arrangements for sharing information with government agencies that use its records for official checks.

Sorapong said the incident indicated that some recipient agencies might have inadequate measures for supervising user accounts and protecting their security, creating an opportunity for data to be accessed and used improperly.

“The incident shows that agencies granted access may not have sufficient measures to supervise, control and protect their user accounts, leaving a vulnerability through which information could be obtained and misused,” he said.

In addition to suspending the affected access rights, the DLT has filed a police complaint and is collecting evidence to pursue criminal proceedings against those who stole and disclosed the data, as well as anyone else involved.