Liechtenstein hackers did not get financial data, government says
Tweet
Share
E-mail
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Cyber Attack" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
ZURICH, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hackers who last week stole data from a Liechtenstein register of thousands of companies, foundations and trusts spent several hours inside the system, though it did not contain financial information, the principality's government said on Tuesday.
The hacked register included names, nationalities and dates of birth of the beneficial owners of the legal entities, but not data on assets, revenue and dividends of the affected parties, Prime Minister Brigitte Haas told a press conference.
Liechtenstein, one of the world's smallest and richest countries, is home to thousands of low-tax trusts, and the data hack delivered a blow to the principality's reputation as a secure, discreet centre of international finance.
"Every financial centre has a potential risk and Liechtenstein does everything to minimise that risk," Haas said, noting other countries had also suffered data hacks.
Investigators did not know who was behind the hack that took place during the night of July 29 to 30 but were working hard to find out, Haas said, speaking to media alongside other officials from the tiny country between Switzerland and Austria.
Fabian Schmid, head of Liechtenstein's office on information technology, said the perpetrators spent "several hours" on the register and accessed the data individually, not in one go, before authorities detected the breach and shut down the system.
Authorities were investigating why the hackers, who accessed the data after creating a user account for the register, had managed to get inside the system for so long, said Schmid.
(Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier; Editing by Dave Graham and Sharon Singleton)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- US teen drops lawsuit against Meta, Google and Snap ahead of trial
- Delta, Aeromexico win US court battle to keep joint venture
- Democratic California state legislator Wahab wins US House seat, media projects
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersRelated Entities
DividendSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
