FeaturedNews Briefs

Parasram warns of possible GDPR fines after assessing TSTT data dump

2 Mins read

Above: Shiva Parasram.

Shiva Parasram is a cybersecurity expert who has been examining the dump of data exfiltrated from TSTT’s servers. When he spoke with me, he was coming to the end of 22 hours of examining the files, which were captured as unencrypted, plain text files in txt and csv formats. Images of customer documents and identification are in standard JPEG and PDF formats.

“I was talking to one of my friends who works at a pretty high position in the Big Four ( Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PwC) about the implications with data privacy and the GDPR. If they have customer information (for anyone in the) EU at the moment or (someone) who falls under the EU GDPR, when the EU gets wind of this and they do their own investigations and analyse it, there could be fines for this. And those fines are nothing minimal”

Parasram wonders if TSTT still has the staff capabilities to mount a forensic analysis of what was taken. He’s been informed that after recent layoffs, TSTT may be operating with a skeleton staff for cybersecurity.

“We are trying to figure out if TSTT was actually aware of the full extent of the dump, if they actually took the dump to analyse it. One of my guys tried to open one of the Excel files. The file is so large that even with 64 gigs of RAM, it was taking forever.”

Parasram is a long way from reviewing all the data in the dump, but notes. I have seen information for many people that I know, accurate information, you know the the photos with IDs and stuff like that. Whether people pay with cash or Linx. But that’s from the client-side database.”

“But even on the company side, there’s a lot of internal stuff. There’s a password file called SYS_password.xls for example (with) names of systems and what appear to be passwords. It’s a lot of information. Everybody is exhausted, and we are probably just scratching the surface. It’s a big nightmare because honestly, if they were part of the EU, this could be billions of dollars in fines

Shiva Parasram

Shiva Parasram, is an Enterprise Risk Consultant, Senior Cybersecurity Lecturer and Forensic Investigator. He has written four books about digital forensics and leads the Computer Forensics and Security Institute.

 

 

 

Related Posts

Digital Public Infrastructure is the most important thing you’ve (probably) never heard of

Digital Public Infrastructure is the most important thing you’ve (probably) never heard of

The expertise and learnings from building India’s digital stack did not remain in India.
Read More
How TT journalists can turn modern media realities to advantage

How TT journalists can turn modern media realities to advantage

The faceless, anonymized journalist adhering to a house style holds little value for this next generation audience.
Read More
VerifyTT lays a foundation stone for digital identity

VerifyTT lays a foundation stone for digital identity

Regardless of the geography, the size of the country, the size of the government, and the level of development, governments are designed to work in a fragmented way by default.
Read More
NPICTT launches free CitizenTT AI service

NPICTT launches free CitizenTT AI service

Access is granted through a website that sets up the messaging for each user and the entire process takes around five minutes.
Read More
Planning a comfortable and safe workspace

Planning a comfortable and safe workspace

Practical choices in layout, climate control, lighting, materials, and maintenance create a comforting environment that lasts.
Read More
Reuters report on young news readers holds no surprises

Reuters report on young news readers holds no surprises

The critical 18-34 age group recorded a decline in enthusiasm for daily news from 79 percent in 2017 to 64 percent in 2025
Read More
AMCHAMTT + UWI sign MOU for AI development

AMCHAMTT + UWI sign MOU for AI development

This partnership with AMCHAM T&T is a timely and important collaboration that represents a deliberate shift from being consumers of technology to becoming creators of responsible, indigenous AI solutions.
Read More
Women in AI panel discussion on April 23

Women in AI panel discussion on April 23

Women do the work that influences outcomes, improves systems, and drives innovation, yet often go unrecognised.
Read More
The state of ransomware in the Caribbean

The state of ransomware in the Caribbean

The report counted 21 confirmed dumps of information to the dark web, but Parasram estimates that twice that number were breached.
Read More
How small businesses can use AI to boost service and growth

How small businesses can use AI to boost service and growth

Reduce risk by keeping the pilot standalone first, then connecting data sources only when you know exactly what the AI must do.
Read More
Digital Public Infrastructure is the most important thing you’ve (probably) never heard of Digital Public Infrastructure is the most...
How TT journalists can turn modern media realities to advantage How TT journalists can turn modern...
VerifyTT lays a foundation stone for digital identity VerifyTT lays a foundation stone for...
NPICTT launches free CitizenTT AI service NPICTT launches free CitizenTT AI service
Planning a comfortable and safe workspace Planning a comfortable and safe workspace
Reuters report on young news readers holds no surprises Reuters report on young news readers...
AMCHAMTT + UWI sign MOU for AI development AMCHAMTT + UWI sign MOU for...
Women in AI panel discussion on April 23 Women in AI panel discussion on...
The state of ransomware in the Caribbean The state of ransomware in the...
How small businesses can use AI to boost service and growth How small businesses can use AI...

🤞 Get connected!

A once weekly email notification of new stories on TechNewsTT. Just that. No spam.

Possible UI Glitch. Click top right corner to dismiss 👉

Get Connected!

A once weekly email notification of new stories on TechNewsTT.

Just that. No spam.

Related posts
BitDepthBitDepth+Featured

The garbage infesting my in-box

2 Mins read
Do not click on links before fully investigating them. Do not call given phone numbers.
BitDepthFeatured

TSTT's payments problem (updated)

6 Mins read
Something seems to have collapsed in what should be an efficient, all-digital payment and verification loop.
BitDepth+Featured

TATT answers questions about its cybersecurity framework for telcoms, broadcasters

6 Mins read
Meaningful cybersecurity incidents are those that result in loss or degradation of services, whether isolated or widespread, due to compromised network element.
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
trackback
2 years ago

[…] Trinidad and Tobago – Shiva Parasram is a cybersecurity expert who has been examining the dump of data exfiltrated from TSTT’s servers. When he spoke with me, he was coming to the end of 22 hours of examining the files, which were captured as unencrypted, plain text files in txt and csv formats. Images of customer documents and identification are in standard JPEG and PDF formats… more […]

×
FeaturedNews Briefs

Updated: TSTT reported hacked by RansomEXX exploit

1
0
Share your perspective in the comments!x
()
x