A breach of privacy on the internet isn’t uncommon, but it’s still scary, especially when your exact information is leaked to the public. A shocking incident happened years ago, involving the leak of classified military documents that shook the entire nation. A similar case took place again, this time involving the public’s personal information.
Yesterday (Tuesday, 3rd December), a Twitter user, @stealthmole_int, posted on the platform a picture of Malaysian identity cards that was leaked online. Allegedly, over 17 million MyKads are now on the dark web for possible malicious reasons.
The user shared photographic evidence of the MyKads on the undisclosed website, which made netizens feel uneasy, and there is even a possibility that these uploaded images are being sold. Malaysian netizens felt threatened, as these cases could lead to serious crimes, as suggested by the uploader. This is also one of the ways online scammers obtain personal information, such as full IC numbers and home addresses, to make their schemes more convincing.
Twitter users shared their thoughts on the incident, worried about what might happen to them. Some speculated that the information was gathered from old apps that required identification approval. Others mentioned that they had recently been contacted by individuals claiming to be from the government and who knew their full information, which is likely a scam.
There is currently no information on why this could be happening. At the time of writing, neither MCMC (Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission), Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil nor PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) released an official statement to address the matter. For now, all we can advise is that you avoid suspicious links and refrain from disclosing personal information online, as it is always traceable, no matter how long ago it was posted.
Update (Wednesday, 5th December)
In a recent update, Malaysia’s Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, spoke out to the public, denying claims of a data breach involving 17 million Malaysian ICs. In addition, the National Registration Department said it conducted an internal investigation and found no evidence supporting the claim.
In the interview, the minister said, “The integrity of the data is protected, and that is the core business of the National Registration Department. It’s better to not spread claims like that.” A Twitter user, @TheFuturizts, posted a picture on the platform where the information on the ICs was also unblurred, showing proof that they were fakes. It was advised by Datuk Seri Saifuddin that netizens shouldn’t trust everything they read, especially without any strong evidence.
Sources: Twitter (1)(2)(3), China Press, Astro Awani
May contributed to this article.
