Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has denied reports that its Malé Taxi Line application was hacked, saying an internal investigation found that an employee had instead accessed the system, altered information and leaked screenshots of the data.
In a statement issued on Sunday, MTCC said its investigation found no evidence that an external party had breached the application’s security systems.
According to the company, an employee with access to the system made unauthorised changes to information stored in the taxi application’s backend database before taking screenshots and releasing them outside the company.
MTCC alleged that the employee acted without authorisation and said the incident was motivated by “personal and political” reasons.
The clarification follows reports and information circulating over the incident that suggested the Malé Taxi Line system had been compromised by an external cyberattack.
MTCC said its ICT Network Security team detected changes to the backend database and responded by immediately taking the affected system offline and initiating security lockdown procedures.
The company said the server and backend were securely restored by 11:30 pm that night after the necessary security checks were completed.
MTCC stressed that its investigation determined the incident was not the result of an external attack penetrating the application’s firewall.
The company said the Malé Taxi Line service has since been restored and customers are able to use the application normally without disruption.
The employee identified through the internal investigation has been suspended from duties while further action is pursued.
“The employee responsible for this undesirable act has been suspended from job duties,” MTCC said, adding that the company would take the strongest action available under its internal regulations and policies.
MTCC also sought to reassure customers and stakeholders over the security of the service, maintaining that the incident involved unauthorised actions by an employee rather than an outside intrusion into its systems.
The company described the incident as an attempt to damage the reputation and public confidence it has built over the years.
Malé Taxi Line was introduced as part of efforts to provide a more organised taxi service in the Greater Malé region, using a digital platform to connect passengers with registered drivers.
The latest incident brings renewed attention to the importance of internal access controls and data security for digital public services, particularly systems where employees may have privileged access to backend infrastructure.
MTCC said it would proceed with disciplinary measures against the employee in accordance with company policies following the findings of its investigation.
