Hackers hit Thailand’s CAT Telecom
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Hackers hit Thailand’s CAT Telecom

International hacking group Anonymous claims to have gained access to Thailand’s state-run CAT Telecom, according to German news service Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA).

DPA says that CAT Telecom’s website was brought down for several hours, apparently as a protest that the government of Thailand wants to tighten its control on internet access. The government seeks to set up a single internet gateway for the country.

The Bangkok Post reported: “The main target of the attack was CAT Telecom, the state-owned company which has been designated by prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the cabinet to control the future gateway. Early Friday, Twitter accounts apparently operated by Anonymous members showed parts of what it said were thousands of CAT customer accounts, including logins, passwords and personal IDs including Thai government ID names and numbers.”

CAT Telecom is the state-owned company that runs Thailand’s international telecommunications infrastructure, including its international gateways, satellite and submarine cable networks connections.

According to DPA, Thailand’s deputy premier, General Prawit Wongsuwon, said on October 15 that there was no fixed plan for such an internet gateway. But CAT Telecom this week announced it was putting the infrastructure in place, rebranding the project from “single gateway” to “national gateway”. 

The Bangkok Post reported that Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, the new CAT Telecom CEO, had said this week that CAT was pushing ahead with a rebranded single gateway, claiming it would reduce costs for Thailand’s internet service providers. 

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