Probe into massive data breach almost complete, says Salleh

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's investigation into a massive data leak involving more than 46 million mobile phone numbers is almost completed, says Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak (pic).

The Communications and Multimedia Minister said that the  MCMC was looking into the matter with the police.

"We have identified several potential sources of the leak and we should be able to complete the probe soon," he told reporters in Parliament on Wednesday.

MCMC chief operating officer Mazlan Ismail said on Tuesday (Oct 31) the regulator had met with local telecommunications companies to seek their cooperation in the probe, according to state news agency Bernama.

The massive data breach was first reported on technology news portal Lowyat.net on Oct 19, after someone tried to sell huge databases of personal information on its forums.

The leaked data was being sold for an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin, a digital currency, Lowyat.net said on Monday.

It included lists of mobile phone numbers, identification card numbers, home addresses, and SIM card data of 46.2 million customers from at least 12 Malaysian mobile phone operators, Reuters noted.

As reported by The Star on Tuesday (Oct 31), many Malaysians have several mobile numbers. The stolen data is believed to include inactive numbers and temporary ones bought by visiting foreigners.

The data also includes private information of more than 80,000 individuals leaked from the records of the Malaysian Medical Council, the Malaysian Medical Association, and the Malaysian Dental Association.