Report: Over 330K personal identifiable info belonging to Malaysians found on the dark web

PETALING JAYA: Private credit reporting agency CTOS has detected 335,000 pieces of personal identifiable information on the dark web belonging to over 58,000 Malaysian consumers in the last three years.

In a statement released on Dec 21, the company said the data detected include credit card and debit card details, passport information, email addresses and phone numbers.

Since 2021, CTOS claimed its dark web monitoring service has scanned more than 1.4 billion data breach records to detect leaked personal information.

As the digital economy plays a significant role in Malaysia’s economic growth, the company said consumers are increasingly engaging in online transactions and are thus being exposed to data threats.

It added that in the past year, the country has witnessed several significant data breaches in telecommunication, broadcasting, banking, aviation and ecommerce sectors, affecting millions of customers.

“It is crucial to take the necessary measures to safeguard ourselves and our businesses from becoming victims of cybercrimes,” the agency said.