Personal data theft rampant, says public security ministry

In a report to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Public Security said leakage of personal data occurs due to inadequate awareness about protecting data online when sharing it during business activities.

Some are even willing to trade their own data for “technological convenience,” it said.

Both raw and processed data are collected and sold. Raw data includes lists of names and contacts at certain organizations, while processed data also includes other personal information like dates of birth, ID card numbers and addresses.

The ministry said certain businesses collect customers’ data and then allow third parties to gain access to it without policies or regulations to prevent it.

These loopholes allow parties to continue passing data and the chain goes on, leading to widespread availability online, it said.

Since 2019 the ministry has detected hundreds of individuals and organizations involved in the sale of personal data adding up to around 1,300 GB, including sensitive stuff like names of students in certain schools and their parents and bank accounts.

Other data sold commonly includes mobile phone numbers and information about investors in real estate and securities markets.

The report said the risk to information security is high, especially at government, Communist Party and financial entities, with hackers often using malicious codes to gain access to sensitive information and steal them.

The ministry said a lack of comprehensive legal framework to ensure cybersecurity has contributed to the problem.

It plans to issue a decree for protecting personal data.