Investigators have identified a Chinese hacker, known by the handle “OKE,” as the prime suspect behind the largest data leak in Taiwan’s history. In October of last year, OKE offered a dump of data containing personal information of 23.56 million Taiwanese individuals for $5,000 on the Breach Forums hacker marketplace. The incident raised concerns about national security, lack of oversight, and data management negligence by government agencies.
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Cyber Security Investigation Office has identified OKE as a Chinese hacker in his 20s. The case is being handled by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, and the suspect could be charged with violating the Personal Data Protection Act and offenses relating to computer security in the Criminal Code. Prosecutors have issued an immigration control bulletin against him.
According to investigators, OKE used virtual currency to receive and transfer payments through a digital wallet registered in China, which contains his national identification number and other personal information. The hacker provided a subset of 200,000 records to buyers on Breach Forums to verify the authenticity of the data. The subset contained the data of several central and local government officials.
An analysis found that the data were based on household registration records from before April 2018, although some deviations from the original entries were found, suggesting that the information was stolen from other government agencies.
Prosecutors will continue to monitor the money flowing through OKE’s digital wallet and bank accounts to build their case. However, OKE claims that the government cannot track his digital wallet, stating that he has a system in place to avoid being monitored.
Officials have called on all government agencies and businesses to boost private data protection, enhance cybersecurity awareness among employees, and keep backup data. It is essential to take proactive measures to prevent data breaches and protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.