Update (12 July 2023, 5:41 PM): Included TM official statement regarding the breach at the end of the article.
Original article below:
Telekom Malaysia (TM) appears to have suffered another data breach. The incidents marks the second time the telco has suffered from such an attack, the first one occurring in December last year.
The breach was confirmed by TM via an SMS sent out today, alerting Unifi users of the incident and that it has affected a select number of customers. According to reports from The Star and SoyaCincau, the SMS was a proactive notification, meaning that this incident is new. In an email to customers, TM says that personal information, including names, MyKad and passports numbers, and contact details may already be compromised. Beyond that, no further damage from the breach appears to have been done and has been contained.
We’ve also reached out to a representative at TM, and are currently waiting on the company for the official press statement on the matter.
As mentioned, this isn’t the first time TM has suffered a data breach. Back in December of last year, threat actors breached the telco’s database and made off with the details of 250,248 Unifi Mobile Customers. That database also contained the personal data of the affected users, and included their full name, phone number, and emails containing a mix of both individual and SME customers.
“TM confirmed recently of a data breach involving historical Unifi customers’ personal information that includes name, national identification/passport number, and contact details. No financial information was impacted. The company confirms that the breach has been contained and proactive steps have been taken to protect the data across its platforms. It has sent out notifications to customers informing them of the data breach and to be wary of phishing tactics including online scams, suspicious links and unsolicited phone calls.
TM has also reported this matter to the relevant authorities (National Cyber Coordination & Command Centre (NC4); Department of Privacy & Data Protection (JPDP); & the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC)).
TM assures all its customers that its Unifi services remain fully operational with no impact to its users.”
