Gov't responds to potential IT system data leak

The incident was due to a data migration error.

The Fire Services Department discovered a potential data leak in one of its IT systems on yesterday. The incident was reported to the authorities but there is no evidence of data being leaked.

A preliminary investigation found that the incident happened during a data migration done by the contractor, where access rights were altered without authorisation, risking data leakage.

The contractor was immediately suspended and had his access rights revoked.

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The data includes the surnames and telephone numbers of 480 individuals who reported tree collapse incidents during Super Typhoon Saola on 2 September 2023.

It also includes the personal information of 5,000 department staff, including their names, telephone numbers, ranks, numbers, and postings as well as the incomplete identity card numbers of 960 of these staff.

The department is conducting a thorough review of the incident and is enhancing security measures to prevent similar incidents. The department also notified affected members via SMS and phone calls.