Banwai

We've been tracking the resurgence of older breaches appearing in new combolists and credential stuffing attacks. What really struck us about this particular breach wasn't the volume of records, but the unusual origin: a Thai Subdistrict Administrative Organization. It's a stark reminder that even seemingly low-profile entities can be vulnerable and that their data can surface years later to fuel modern attacks. The fact that passwords were stored in plaintext is an alarming indicator of the security practices (or lack thereof) at the time.

Banwai's 2018 Breach: Plaintext Passwords Resurface

In August 2018, a data breach at the official website of the Subdistrict Administrative Organization of Ban Wai in Thailand exposed approximately 12,000 unique records. The breach was discovered when the data was posted on a popular hacking forum, making it available for widespread use in credential stuffing attacks and other malicious activities. The most concerning aspect of this breach is the fact that it included email addresses and plaintext passwords. This indicates a severe lack of basic security measures at the time of the breach.

The re-emergence of this data is particularly relevant to enterprises now because it highlights the long tail of data breaches and the persistence of compromised credentials. Even years after a breach occurs, the exposed data can still be used to gain unauthorized access to accounts and systems. The use of plaintext passwords, while unfortunately not uncommon in older breaches, significantly increases the risk of credential reuse across different platforms and services. This type of breach feeds directly into the broader threat theme of combolists and the automation of credential stuffing attacks, where attackers use lists of known usernames and passwords to try to gain access to various online accounts.

Key point: Total records exposed: 11,786

Key point: Types of data included: Email Address, Plaintext Password

Key point: Source structure: Likely a database export (structure unspecified)

Key point: Leak location: Popular hacking forum (unspecified)

Key point: Date of first appearance: August 21, 2018

External Context & Supporting Evidence

While this breach didn't receive widespread mainstream media coverage at the time, its presence on hacking forums confirms its validity and availability to malicious actors. The lack of immediate reporting underscores the reality that many smaller breaches go unnoticed, yet still contribute to the overall threat landscape. Similar incidents involving plaintext password storage have been widely reported, such as the LinkedIn breach in 2012 (reported by multiple outlets, including KrebsOnSecurity), which exposed millions of passwords and served as a wake-up call for the industry. The Banwai breach, while smaller in scale, serves as a reminder of the ongoing risks associated with poor security practices and the long-term consequences of data breaches.

Email · Address · Plaintext · Password