SMS Platform EVERY8D Suspected of Hack; Taiwan's Digital Ministry Investigates Possible Data Breach

(Central News Agency, reporter Zhao Minya, Taipei, June 3) Taiwan's domestic information service provider Teamplus recently suffered a suspected cyberattack, leading to service interruptions on its EVERY8D SMS platform and reports of a potential user data breach. Lin Chun-hsiu, Director of the Administration for Digital Industries under the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA), stated today that an administrative inspection conducted yesterday confirmed this as a cybersecurity incident. MODA has requested the company to provide supplementary information to further clarify whether a data breach occurred.

The Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee today reviewed the central government's general budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, including the budget for MODA and related agencies. MODA Minister Lin Yi-jing, Digital Industries Administration Director Lin Chun-hsiu, and Cybersecurity Administration Director Tsai Fu-long attended the meeting to report and answer questions.

Kuomintang Legislator Wan Mei-ling pointed out that EVERY8D holds a high market share in Taiwan, serving banks, government agencies, listed companies, medical institutions, and the general public, thus having a broad impact. She questioned whether MODA was aware of the incident in a timely manner, noting that Teamplus issued a statement on May 26, while MODA only released a press release on May 30.

Minister Lin Yi-jing stated that MODA was aware of the situation from the beginning, but acknowledged "there is room for improvement." He explained that initially, internal efforts were focused on clarifying jurisdictional responsibilities and whether other ministries were involved, but he believes that action should have been taken first. He outlined three key responses: conducting an administrative inspection, requiring the company to promptly notify affected parties, and issuing a cybersecurity alert.

In response to Legislator Wan's follow-up question on the inspection results, Director Lin Chun-hsiu explained that while the inspection confirmed it was a security incident, the available data cannot yet determine whether the servers storing personal data were attacked. Therefore, the company has been asked to provide more information to clarify if a data breach occurred. He also noted that, as of now, the Criminal Investigation Bureau has not received any reports of a data breach.

Director Tsai Fu-long stated that a total of 68 government agencies have used the platform. Of these, 36 have stopped using it, and 32 have updated their passwords.

Minister Lin Yi-jing emphasized that the government's dedicated "111" SMS service does not use Teamplus's platform and that the systems are not interconnected. He stated this is a key concern for the public and that MODA will continue to closely monitor the situation. (Editor: Pan Yi-jing) 1150603