106 million international tourists to Thailand had their personal information leaked

According to Comparitech, a cybersecurity research firm, the personal data of 106 million international visitors to Thailand over the past 10 years was leaked online in August this year. Comparitech said the leaked data included full names, genders, passport numbers, arrival dates, visa types and residency statuses.

The National Cyber ​​Security Agency (NCSA) of Thailand confirmed the incident and said it had found no evidence that the data had been sold to underground sites. Bob Diachenko, head of cybersecurity research at Comparitech, discovered the incident on August 22. Thai authorities re-secured the database on August 23.

According to Diachenko, hackers could have found the unsecured database globally in a matter of hours. However, Thai authorities responded to Comparitech that the leaked data had not been used illegally by any third party. The scandal, which exposed personal information, was only exposed to the media a month after Comparitech discovered the security flaw. This incident has caused outrage among tourists and foreigners in Thailand.

Yuthasak Supasorn, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the leak of personal information has had a significant impact on tourist confidence. "Tourists can rest assured that similar incidents will not happen again in the future," he stressed. "Tourists, especially business travelers, may think twice before coming to Thailand if they see threats to their personal security."

"Travel companies, hotels and airlines need to work together to assess the risks from this, expanding preventive measures as soon as possible," Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn added.

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