TAIPEI (China Post/ANN) — Taiwan's Department of Cyber Security is reviewing data security measures and determining whether there are any other security loopholes after it was reported that the personal information of more than 243,000 civil servants has been hacked, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai said on June 25.
CNA reported that the Ministry of Civil Service revealed Monday on its Website that it was informed by a government agency about the breach on June 22, with the personal information of 243,376 civil servants being compromised.
The names, national identification card numbers, occupations and the agencies the civil servants work for have been made public. The personal data of individuals working in both central and local governments were submitted between Jan. 1, 2005 and June 30, 2012.
The ministry said the personal information has been made available on foreign websites.
Chen said the Executive Yuan’s cyber security unit first found the breach and notified the ministry, adding that he has instructed the cyber security department to help the ministry fix the problem.
Cybersecurity is considered a national security issue, Chen noted, adding that the government has alerted related government agencies about the increased threat of cyber attacks.
On its website, the ministry said it has reported the case to the National Center for Cyber Security Technology in accordance with the Cyber Security Management Act.
The compromised information system was taken offline in March 2015, the ministry noted, adding that it has begun checking for flaws in the system and taken immediate measures aimed at controlling access to information and preventing any future hacks.
The Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Justice has launched an investigation to determine the origin of the hack.
By Liao Yu-yang, Wang Cheng-chung and Evelyn Kao
