BANGKOK, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved measures to prevent personal data leaks stemming from compromised login credentials, ordering an immediate password reset across government agencies and mandatory multi-factor authentication.
The measures, proposed by the National Cyber Security Committee, aim to strengthen the protection of personal data and reduce cyber threats to the public sector systematically, said government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.
In a statement, Rachada said officials and staff at more than 300 departments must change their passwords immediately, cutting off the use of previously leaked databases for impersonation.
All ministries and departments have 15 days to review more than 30,000 information systems under their authority and permanently close back-end access to any legacy or abandoned system, she noted.
She added that many agencies had assumed that taking a website offline was sufficient, while they left back-end systems running, which created vulnerabilities.
The cabinet also authorized the National Cyber Security Agency to act under the Cybersecurity Act to require both state and private entities to comply with the measures.
The spokesperson said the measures would raise confidence among the public, businesses and investors and bring Thailand's cybersecurity standards in line with international norms. ■