Personal details of hundreds of foreigners in Thailand leaked online

[lkv]

I wonder if the Computer Crimes Act will be brought in to play, ah farangs, no need

Sad but likely true.

[iforget]

Maybe this explains why I had a phone call this morning from a number in Minnesota, with a woman saying, "Hi I'm calling from Korea. I'd like to talk with you sbout a wonderful investment..." at which point I ended the call. But she knew my name.

[FredNL]

The only thing they learn at university when studying IT is <Ctrl><a>, <Ctrl><c> & <Ctrl><v>.

You can become a system administrator within 6 months, don't have to have any English knowledge. The books (NT 4.0 version 2001) are in English and in plastic, and still sold as new .
Exams you don't have to pass, after 6 months course you have your degree automaticly...

Cost for this course is 120,000 THB. A System Administrator makes between 40k and 500k per month in Thailand.

[wabothai]

To most of these guys this whole thing does not seem that important, mai pen rai.

They don't have the slightest idea of what happens beyond Thailand's borders.

Not the slightest idea that in the west this "thing" is a big crime.

[jlwilliamsjr18]

It was not leaked...it was put there deliberately. There's a cast system and farangs are way down low. There may have been a time, where farangs were top of the food chain, not any more.

[FredNL]

"...It also identified the website developer as a firm called Youngcyber Digital Technology, which is headed by a man named Akram Aleeming. The website for the firm was offline Monday."

yes, but here is screen shot of Mr. Aleeming's web site before took it down.

i retrieved it from http://web.archive.org. Seems he does web hosting as well.

akram.jpg

Expensive guy.

Here with a server in Thailand using PAIBKK.com

[Artisi]

Don't know what the fuss is about, according to Maj. Gen. Thanusilpa, the immigration police commander, no 'important information' was stored on the site.

• name
• nationality
• passport number
• full address
• work details

Theres nothing on there, Thanusilpa said...

He didn't see the same map I did. All but work details was there.

I saw this map here on TV last night, before the topic was taken down on the basis that it was somehow "illegal " for the subject to be debated on the forum.

This is/was a very serious beach committed in the name of the Immigration Authority which compromised both personal privacy and, potentially the safety of many expats.

This morning I informed my Embassy of this breach and provided the link to the site and screen shots of my data, I have also lodged a complaint using the 111 facility.

Well I bet that really caused a stir, immigration must be now shaking in their boots.

[bazza40]

It's the first phase of a complex project. This was the trial of Phase One.

I cannot disclose too much about the project, but Phase Four includes inserting a microchip under the traveller's skin, so that when he moves around Thailand that map becomes interactive.

Just like GPS and Google Maps in your car.

Is that meant to be funny ?

The thread is about a serious issue which some clearly have a problem comprehending.

Yeah, it was meant to be funny. You're too tensed.

Now that you've put microchipping into the public arena, it may be more serious than you realise. Immigration control freaks would salivate at the thought of doing that to every foreigner in Thailand or anywhere else for that matter. A bureaucrat's wet dream.

[kannot]

We used to have phone books with all that information in it.....

we used to drown witches too.......so what

[kannot]

Great news for all of you there, now the local thieves know everything about you, will be watching when you leave home and get in then, so much for Security in Thailand.

Lets start publishing names of Thais that live in Europe, see how the Thai Police would react.

If that was done in Europe, USA ect. it would be illegal. A better idea would be if anyone can find the same details for immigration bosses and put that online. See how that goes down.

better still their bank balances

Edited March 28, 2016 by kannot

[bazza40]

Big Brother really IS watching you

More like little brother.

Very good, loved the subtlety of the inference

[Bench499d]

This was always going to happen sooner or later thanks to the lax attitude towards security and data privacy.

I've posted on this before but to be honest I thought it would be the 90-day report site that had the breach.

[momtaz]

It gives new meaning to the Junta's drive for transparency.

do not panic guys, just a reflection of transparency practice !

[Surasak]

Web site removed last night after being hacked. (The admin password was ..... . . . .. 123456.)

The site developer who had the live site with information supplied by the Immigration Dept is not answering emails or replying to requests for interviews.

Would love to be a fly on the wall when this gets discussed in various meetings at the Immigration Dept over the next few days

Even if you were able to be that fly on the wall, would you really learn anything new?

[Fookhaht]

this is illegal, this kintra is turning out to be crap!! ooe personal records are now exposed tae criminals an other devious !!!!, congratulations!

a gave ring tae the embassy today and tha answer eeven suprised me mair than this, "sorry sir thers naething we can do"

Rubbish.

At the very least our ambassadors should make a formal protest against the Thai government for this breach of privacy and security. We probably should all be contacting our embassies, filing serious complaints, and requesting specific action by our ambassadors.

Edit:

Missed an earlier post with the sample letter Excellent idea.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Fookhaht

[Mangostin]

why don't they just make is wear a yellow star on our clothes?

[RedQualia]

Did a search for "privacy laws Thailand." Results were extremely dismal. It appears that Thailand only has a few different draft laws, some under the old constitution. None apparently implemented. And so no laws have been broken? The best summary of the situation I found (without digging too hard among the results returned) was here:

http://ldysnow.com/2015/05/03/privacy-laws-related-to-information-technology-in-thailand/

If anyone has better data on privacy laws in Thailand, please do share.

[Thian]

The only thing they learn at university when studying IT is <Ctrl><a>, <Ctrl><c> & <Ctrl><v>.

You can become a system administrator within 6 months, don't have to have any English knowledge. The books (NT 4.0 version 2001) are in English and in plastic, and still sold as new .

Exams you don't have to pass, after 6 months course you have your degree automaticly...

Cost for this course is 120,000 THB. A System Administrator makes between 40k and 500k per month in Thailand.

I have all those certifications and it wasn't easy to get them...in english of course. No doubt a Thai would never pass those exams, also in my group not many passed.

But using a strong password is something anybody could think of.

[Jonmarleesco]

Everything you do in Thailand requires copy of passport, home address etc, so whats the panic about???

Agreed. But those details aren't put on the internet for everybody to see. And potentially use to your disadvantage. Identity theft is a big issue these days.

You mean they're not supposed to be put on the internet for everybody to see. Recent U.K. governments have mislaid/lost/left lying around thousands of documents relating to personal data, courtesy of reasons ranging from incompetence to stupidity. And they were duly taken to task. I should think being displayed online is of much more concern than being physically misplaced, but I somehow think immigration will get away with it. Unless, that is, the embassies recognise some further investigation and action is required - but they probably won't.

[lkv]

How about today's data breach? New thread tomorrow I guess.

Edited March 28, 2016 by lkv

[Jonmarleesco]

As this Andrew MacGregor Marshall posted on Facebook, "the scariest part of the story is that Thai immigration officials gave freelance programmer Akram Aleeming highly sensitive data including names, addresses and passport details of foreigners in southern Thailand, so he could build his "test" system. That's where the real data breach occurred."

This Akram Alleging guy is supposedly a Computer Science from Thaksin University, and he uses the least secure "password" possible, and leaves personal information open because he "didn’t think anyone would find the website"??

It would be very interesting to know a LOT more about this "freelancer", including his address and passport number It'd become a lot more interesting to know his political agenda too.....

It would be a lot more interesting to know his political affiliations. I doubt the buffoons who gave him free rein would have thought to ask, never mind check.

[Time Traveller]

Why is this a surprise? Walk into any immigration office and ask for a copy of the regulations and they will give you a copy of some other foreigners personal information printed on the other side of their rules information sheets. Your information is already being handed out to strangers

[Jonmarleesco]

We used to have phone books with all that information in it.....

Must be before my time. The ones I remember supplied name, number and address, and then not if they were ex-directory.

[Jonmarleesco]

Guys which part of:-

IMPORTANT NOTE - If you discover any more locations with personal data please don't post them here, we don't want to re-publish sensitive personal information.

is not understood?

Yes, that includes linking to sites which have these links.

Further transgressions will be removed without notice, holidays await repeat offenders.

Remember this is information that can lead to identity theft or worse.

Depending how on-the-ball some were, it might already be doing so, courtesy of the boys in brown.

[Jonmarleesco]

Everything you do in Thailand requires copy of passport, home address etc, so whats the panic about???

Possibly, other details apart, the fact that the information has no business being in the public domain.

[FredNL]

The only thing they learn at university when studying IT is <Ctrl><a>, <Ctrl><c> & <Ctrl><v>.

You can become a system administrator within 6 months, don't have to have any English knowledge. The books (NT 4.0 version 2001) are in English and in plastic, and still sold as new .

Exams you don't have to pass, after 6 months course you have your degree automaticly...

Cost for this course is 120,000 THB. A System Administrator makes between 40k and 500k per month in Thailand.

I have all those certifications and it wasn't easy to get them...in english of course. No doubt a Thai would never pass those exams, also in my group not many passed.

But using a strong password is something anybody could think of.

MCSA or MCSE ???

Any where in the world MCSE Windows NT 5.1 isn't possible to gain certificates anymore except in Thailand.

Last week I had a job interview for my company and that guy was proud that he was MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) since Jan 2016 for XP Professional. When I asked him what his knowledge was on Linux systems was (what we were looking for and for PHP developpers) he didn't know what I was talking about. He just answered that he only had little experience with using Frontpage and OSCommerce.

MCP is now being replaced with MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist)

But we're on Linux. (www.paibkk.com)

Edited March 28, 2016 by FredNL

[FredNL]

The only thing they learn at university when studying IT is <Ctrl><a>, <Ctrl><c> & <Ctrl><v>.

You can become a system administrator within 6 months, don't have to have any English knowledge. The books (NT 4.0 version 2001) are in English and in plastic, and still sold as new .

Exams you don't have to pass, after 6 months course you have your degree automaticly...

Cost for this course is 120,000 THB. A System Administrator makes between 40k and 500k per month in Thailand.

I have all those certifications and it wasn't easy to get them...in english of course. No doubt a Thai would never pass those exams, also in my group not many passed.

But using a strong password is something anybody could think of.

MCSE / MCSA / MCP / MCTP ?

We're running Linux at www.paibkk.com

In Thailand it is still possible to get a MCSE Windows NT 5.1 and MCSA Windows XP. (Unique in the world since 2006)

Edited March 28, 2016 by FredNL

[huahinjoe]

Europe and the half world is on terror alert meanwhile in Thailand they publicize real passport data, well done IT man, you had one job....

[arrowsdawdle]

Web site removed last night after being hacked. (The admin password was ..... . . . .. 123456.)

The site developer who had the live site with information supplied by the Immigration Dept is not answering emails or replying to requests for interviews.

Would love to be a fly on the wall when this gets discussed in various meetings at the Immigration Dept over the next few days

You'd be a pretty bored fly, unless you find lots of whiskey and laughter interesting.

[arrowsdawdle]

Why is this raising eyebrows when the SOP in LOS is to display IDs and passports and list addresses of victims in news media?