LINE Account Thefts Mostly Affect Taiwan Mobile Users; Ministry of Digital Affairs: Problem Due to Overlapping Vulnerabilities
On the evening of March 31, a large-scale LINE account theft incident occurred, primarily affecting Taiwan Mobile users. Minister of Digital Affairs Lin I-ching stated that the vulnerability arose from the overlapping issues between Taiwan Mobile's voicemail function and LINE's verification mechanism, which was exploited by malicious actors. Although only 16 complaints have been received, the actual number of affected users is likely higher. Lin emphasized that the priority is to quickly patch the vulnerability, as such security issues often stem from the combination of minor flaws. The Ministry of Digital Affairs has contacted both LINE and Taiwan Mobile, confirming that the vulnerability has been addressed, but noted that malicious actors might seek new weaknesses.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 12:55
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 13:00 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 19:23 (174h 23m after Collected)
Social platform LINE experienced a large-scale logout and account theft incident on the evening of March 31, with most victims being Taiwan Mobile users, who reported being suddenly logged out and unable to log back in; LINE responded that it had launched an investigation into the reported account thefts and was continuously monitoring platform security.
The Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee today invited Minister of Digital Affairs Lin I-ching to report on business overview and answer questions. Kuomintang Legislator Wan Mei-ling pointed out that LINE experienced a large-scale account login anomaly on the evening of March 31, mostly affecting Taiwan Mobile users, mainly because malicious actors exploited the vulnerability of Taiwan Mobile's voicemail function and LINE's verification mechanism to steal people's accounts. The Ministry of Digital Affairs has not yet grasped how many people were affected.
Lin I-ching responded that Taiwan Mobile has only received 16 customer complaints, but it is understood that the number of affected people may be far higher than this figure.
Regarding the attribution of responsibility for the problem, Lin I-ching pointed out that neither side has a big problem, but combined, it becomes a vulnerability. Many cybersecurity problems are like this. The most important thing now is to quickly plug the loophole.
Wan Mei-ling stated that LINE is currently providing assistance, but if people's accounts are stolen and used for fraud, how will legal responsibility be clarified later? Lin I-ching responded that if a LINE account is stolen, there is a high possibility that it will be used by a fraud group for fraud, but legal issues may only be clarified in court.
Wan Mei-ling pointed out that when such an incident occurs, the Ministry of Digital Affairs should bring together LINE, Taiwan Mobile, and other platform operators to review prevention mechanisms or strengthen verification methods.
Lin I-ching stated that the Ministry of Digital Affairs has been in contact with both operators. Once a cybersecurity vulnerability is discovered, it will be plugged and will not happen again, but malicious actors may still look for new vulnerabilities. This incident was contained in the shortest possible time before it spread, and the operators were notified to plug it. (Editor: Chang Jo-yao) 1150408
The Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee today invited Minister of Digital Affairs Lin I-ching to report on business overview and answer questions. Kuomintang Legislator Wan Mei-ling pointed out that LINE experienced a large-scale account login anomaly on the evening of March 31, mostly affecting Taiwan Mobile users, mainly because malicious actors exploited the vulnerability of Taiwan Mobile's voicemail function and LINE's verification mechanism to steal people's accounts. The Ministry of Digital Affairs has not yet grasped how many people were affected.
Lin I-ching responded that Taiwan Mobile has only received 16 customer complaints, but it is understood that the number of affected people may be far higher than this figure.
Regarding the attribution of responsibility for the problem, Lin I-ching pointed out that neither side has a big problem, but combined, it becomes a vulnerability. Many cybersecurity problems are like this. The most important thing now is to quickly plug the loophole.
Wan Mei-ling stated that LINE is currently providing assistance, but if people's accounts are stolen and used for fraud, how will legal responsibility be clarified later? Lin I-ching responded that if a LINE account is stolen, there is a high possibility that it will be used by a fraud group for fraud, but legal issues may only be clarified in court.
Wan Mei-ling pointed out that when such an incident occurs, the Ministry of Digital Affairs should bring together LINE, Taiwan Mobile, and other platform operators to review prevention mechanisms or strengthen verification methods.
Lin I-ching stated that the Ministry of Digital Affairs has been in contact with both operators. Once a cybersecurity vulnerability is discovered, it will be plugged and will not happen again, but malicious actors may still look for new vulnerabilities. This incident was contained in the shortest possible time before it spread, and the operators were notified to plug it. (Editor: Chang Jo-yao) 1150408
FAQ
Which telecom company's users were mostly affected by the LINE account theft?
Mostly Taiwan Mobile telecom users were affected.
What did the Ministry of Digital Affairs identify as the cause of the LINE account theft?
The Ministry of Digital Affairs pointed out that the vulnerability arose from the overlapping issues between Taiwan Mobile's voicemail function and LINE's verification mechanism, which was exploited by malicious actors.
What actions did the Ministry of Digital Affairs take regarding this issue?
The Ministry of Digital Affairs contacted both LINE and Taiwan Mobile, confirming that the vulnerability has been patched.