Hong Kong fire department reports data leak due to third party supplier misconfiguration
Learn More
Hong Kong's Fire Services Department (FSD) has encountered a serious data breach impacting the personal details of over 5,000 department personnel and several hundred residents.
The breach, disclosed on 6th of May 2024 evening, involved unauthorized changes to access rights during a data migration procedure handled by an outsourced contractor. This incident is the third data security breach reported by the government in less than a week.
Details exposed in the breach include:
- Surnames and telephone numbers of about 480 residents who reported tree collapse incidents during Super Typhoon Saola.
- Names, telephone numbers, and ranks of approximately 5,000 FSD staff members.
- Incomplete identity card numbers of 960 staff members.
The FSD suspended the compromised system and terminated the contractor’s access rights to prevent further data leakage. The department is actively working with the contractor to investigate the breach.
