Take action: It's completely beyond comprehension why the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center would need blood types, parental information or fingerprints. But it's a great example of data gluttony even if there is no rational use case for the data. And then they leak it unprotected on the internet.

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The National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) of Bangladesh has experienced a significant data leak involving the personal details of Bangladeshi citizens. Security researcher Viktor Markopoulos from CloudDefense.AI discovered an unsecured NTMC database which hackers later accessed on November 12. The hackers are demanding ransom in bitcoin.

The leaked data included sensitive information like citizens'

• names,
• call and internet activity logs,
• professions,
• blood types,
• parental information,
• phone numbers,
• vehicle registrations,
• passport details,
• fingerprint images.

Though the NTMC director general claimed the leaked data was only sample data and not real information, external verification found samples of the data to be accurate, suggesting some real data was indeed compromised. The number of affected individuals is not disclosed.

This incident reflects the broader issue of insufficient data protection measures within Bangladeshi organizations and highlights the pressing need for stronger cybersecurity protocols and education on digital rights, especially as the country approaches elections.