Malaysia’s home minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, had his WhatsApp account compromised by an attacker using a VPN. The hacker sent malicious links to the minister's contacts, but no financial losses were reported. The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed the breach and urged the public not to respond to suspicious messages. The incident is under investigation, and law enforcement is working to determine the hacker’s location. This attack has raised concerns about Malaysia’s cybersecurity measures.
Source: https://therecord.media/malaysia-hack-scam-whatsapp-minister
TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/ministry-of-home-affairs-mha-
"id": "min739060225",
"linkid": "ministry-of-home-affairs-mha-",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "25",
"impact": "",
"explanation": "Attack without any consequences: Attack in which data is not compromised"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'WhatsApp contacts',
'industry': 'Government',
'location': 'Malaysia',
'name': 'Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail',
'type': 'Government Official'}],
'attack_vector': 'WhatsApp Account Compromise',
'date_detected': '2023-10-06',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-10-06',
'description': 'Malaysia’s home minister had his WhatsApp account hacked and '
'then abused to send malicious links to his contacts.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Public criticism and ridicule',
'data_compromised': 'Unknown',
'financial_loss': 'None reported',
'systems_affected': 'WhatsApp'},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'WhatsApp Account'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'lessons_learned': 'Mobile phishing scams are increasingly common in '
'Malaysia.',
'motivation': 'Financial, Data Theft',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Unknown'},
'recommendations': 'Increase cybersecurity measures and public awareness.',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-10-06',
'source': 'Police Press Conference'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public advisory to ignore messages',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Unknown',
'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes'},
'threat_actor': 'Unknown',
'title': "Malaysia Home Minister's WhatsApp Account Hacked",
'type': 'Phishing',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Unspecified'}