More than 70,000 passport mugshots leaked, Consular Affairs Bureau: Will not affect the validity of issued documents

Part of the website of the Consular Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was hacked, and more than 70,000 passport photos and scanned files of 26,000 authorization letters were leaked. The Consular Affairs Bureau apologized and stated that the relevant website has been repaired and is back online. The stolen information will not affect the validity of the issued passports and authorization letters. People do not need to renew their passports immediately.

The Consular Affairs Bureau stated that on the afternoon of the 4th, it was discovered that some websites were suspected of being hacked. After investigation, the information obtained by the hackers fell into three categories. The first was from September 3 to November 2 this year, some passport photos uploaded by people through personal online reservations, travel agency packages and conditional online passport application and replacement channels, a total of 72,702 files; excluding cases applied through the one-stop service at the residence and the over-the-counter method.

The Consulate Bureau pointed out that based on the current investigation results, it has not been found that application information other than the above-mentioned mugshot, such as name, date of birth, ID card number and passport number, has been obtained.

The Consular Affairs Bureau stated that Part 2 is a scanned file of some authorization letters verified by the New York Office from October 26, 100 to November 6, 2015, totaling 26,072 files; it does not include domestic application cases, cases from other missions abroad, and other types of documents such as birth, death, marriage, academic qualifications, etc.

The Consular Affairs Bureau said that Part 3 is part of the information that people applied through the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Card (ABTC) online form-filling website between September 1 and November 9 this year, including the applicant's photo, application number, gender, application category, place of birth, job title and recommending organization, for a total of 774 applications; it does not involve the applicant's name, passport number, contact information and other important information that can directly identify the individual's identity. In addition, the ABTC cards of these 774 applicants have not yet been issued.

The Consular Affairs Bureau stated that the above-mentioned situations were discovered one after another on the afternoon of the 4th, and an information security and response task force was immediately established to immediately isolate the relevant hosts, confirm the hacking situation, preserve relevant evidence, and notify the information security authorities. It also planned alternative operations to try to maintain uninterrupted consular services. Relevant websites have been restored online after program repairs and security checks.

The Consular Affairs Bureau stated that it sincerely apologizes for the leakage of personal data of some application documents caused by this information security incident, as well as the doubts and anxiety it may cause, and has immediately taken contingency measures.

The Consular Affairs Bureau emphasized that the passport mugshots and authorization letter scans stolen by the hacker will not affect the validity and normal use of the issued passports. People do not need to immediately replace their passports. The verification validity of the relevant authorization letters and the use of future ABTC cards will not be affected.