Three government agency user accounts with access to the Ministry of Transport database have been suspended after authorities detected suspicious activities, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said on Wednesday.
The action follows reports that vehicle registration details and personal information — including data on a Rolls-Royce owned by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul — had surfaced online, prompting investigations into how the data was accessed.
Mr Siripong said unusual search activities were found involving accounts related to the Bangkok Noi district office, the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) and the Singhanat Task Force of the Royal Thai Army.
The case has been referred to the police Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) for investigation. As a precaution, the ministry has instructed agencies with authorised access to the transport ministry and Department of Land Transport (DLT) databases to reset their passwords.
Mr Siripong said officials have yet to determine whether the suspicious activities were carried out by the legitimate account holders or by unauthorised users who had gained access to the accounts. Investigative sources later said that the latter appeared to have been the case.
The leaked information consisted only of basic personal data and could not be used to carry out transactions or transfer vehicle ownership without identity verification. Asked how many people may have been affected, Mr Siripong said officials had identified suspicious searches involving the records of about 6,000 to 7,000 people.
The records believed to have been accessed included personal information relating to Mr Anutin, as well as other cabinet ministers and senior Interior Ministry officials. Asked about a photograph of his national identification card circulating online, Mr Anutin acknowledged it was genuine, but said it was taken “a long time ago”.
The prime minister said that authorities would investigate how the information had become public and whether existing safeguards were adequate.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the data appeared to have been accessed from a single location using the same login account on two occasions.
