The personal data of over 3,300 individuals was compromised due to an IT “technical issue” at the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) in Singapore. According to a report by Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, the incident occurred when the CEA’s IT system sent the leaked information, which included 3,320 names and National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) numbers, to 18 unintended recipients. All the affected data belonged to individuals who had registered for the March 2024 real estate salesperson or April 2024 real estate agency examinations.
CEA was quick to respond to the situation by shutting down the affected system function and launching a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the data breach. In a statement to CNA, a spokesperson for CEA assured that the incident was isolated and resulting from a technical flaw in the IT system. The system has been secured, and necessary steps have been taken to contain the issue.
The industry regulator took immediate steps to contact the 18 recipients of the leaked data once the problem was identified. These recipients, including current and former property agents and individuals who had applied for the real estate salesperson examination, confirmed that they had deleted the email and its contents without forwarding or using the data.
In response to the breach, CEA emphasized that no contact information such as phone numbers or email addresses was disclosed in the leak. The incident highlights the importance of robust data protection measures to safeguard personal information in the digital age.
