DSI hunts 23 suspects after cyberattack on government websites
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday announced an intensification of its investigation into a major cyberattack that crippled 16 Thai government websites, disrupting online services across Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, and Chon Buri.
The operation, dubbed Operation Shutdown Backlink, originally kicked off on October 29, 2024, when a group of hackers breached government websites. The hackers redirected traffic to illegal online gambling sites by creating folders and backlink files, receiving payments for driving users to the platforms.
As a result, citizens were unable to access government services at 11 major points across the three provinces. Investigators seized more than 100 related bank accounts with financial transactions exceeding 20 billion baht.
Pattamaporn Krisanayut, Director of the Division of Technology and Information Cases 1, together with a team of special case investigators, issued summons to 21 suspects of the case. The charges include unauthorised access to computer systems, illegal modification of data, facilitating online gambling, and money laundering.
Between April 1 and April 23, 2025, 13 suspects reported to the DSI for questioning. Eight others have yet to appear. Two additional suspects are now being summoned, bringing the total number of suspects to 23.
Further investigation revealed that several other government agencies were targeted in similar attacks, causing widespread damage and restricting public access to online services.
The director-general of the DSI instructed the Division of Technology and Information Cases to speed up the investigation and expand efforts to identify those responsible, including ringleaders, collaborators, and financial supporters.
A set of preventive measures is also being developed to strengthen the protection of government websites and prevent future breaches, reported The Standard.
In similar cybercrime news, Thailand is strengthening its efforts to combat online scams by upgrading the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre into a full department, a move enabled by a new emergency decree that took effect on April 13.
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