Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has confirmed a significant leak of sensitive personal information involving senior military officials.
The breach occurred last week and was revealed in a report by China Times, which stated that personal data of officers ranked colonel and above.
This also includes information about Defense Minister Wellington Koo, was leaked on October 17.
The leak resulted from a blunder by the ministry's Ethics Office, which was compiling information on senior officials' personal assets.
It was responsible for gathering and transmitting such information to each individual officer for review, as required by law.
However, rather than sending this data individually, an entire file containing all declarants' sensitive personal information was accidentally sent to various military units.
According to the China Times, the data leak revealed personal information about the officials, including their service unit, title, name, and reporting year.
Although the ministry confirmed the leak, it quickly downplayed its scope, stating that it did not include personal financial information such as asset holdings, savings, or real estate investments.
In response to the situation, the ministry issued a statement acknowledging the error and promising an investigation.
“We have already informed the affected parties and asked them to return the documents. In addition, risk control measures are being implemented to limit exposure,” the statement read.
The ministry also promised to improve internal communication and safeguard procedures to avoid similar negligence in the future.
Despite the ministry's assurances, the data breach raises serious concerns about how Taiwan's military handles sensitive information and how such a critical error could have happened in the first place.
The Ethics Office, which normally protects sensitive personal information, is now being scrutinized for its operational protocols.
This incident complicates Taiwan's government's growing concerns about information security, especially given ongoing tensions with China, which maintains an aggressive stance toward the island.
Taiwan, a key player in the Indo-Pacific, is regarded as a strategic flashpoint, making any disclosure of military-related information potentially damaging.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese defense personnel may become less confident in the system designed to protect their sensitive information.