Finance Ministry Orders Maximum Cyber Defense Against AI Hacking Threats
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekanit Nitithanprapas has ordered all Ministry of Finance agencies to elevate cybersecurity to the maximum level to counter AI-driven hacking attacks capable of compromising one million accounts per attempt. The directive includes Krungthai Bank, which must further strengthen its defenses given its vast financial data holdings. Regarding the Thai Airways passenger data breach affecting over 60,000 records, officials confirmed the leak originated from third-party vendor Amadeus, not the airline's own systems.
Permanent Secretary of Finance Lavaron Sangsnit revealed that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekanit Nitithanprapas has ordered all Ministry of Finance agencies to urgently upgrade cyber defenses to the highest level. The directive comes as attack methods have evolved with technology, with artificial intelligence now being used to hack or attack data systems — capable of targeting one million accounts in a single assault. Human operators alone cannot respond fast enough, so AI must be deployed for defense and countermeasures. While every agency already has its own cybersecurity systems, security must be tightened and elevated further, with the level depending on each organization's importance. As chairman of Krungthai Bank, Lavaron said the bank has also discussed the cyber threat to prepare responses, given its size and vast data holdings. Regarding reports that over 60,000 Thai Airways passenger ticket records were accessed without authorization, officials clarified this was not a leak from Thai Airways' own systems but from Amadeus IT Group S.A., the third-party reservation and passenger service provider that suffered a cyberattack. Thai Airways is not idle and has ordered close monitoring to protect passenger personal data and prevent future hacking or cyberattacks.
