31,000 copies of data belonging to legal entities stolen in Liechtenstein
Keystone-SDA
The Principality of Liechtenstein has been the target of a large-scale cyberattack. Around 31,000 copies of data belonging to companies, foundations and trusts were stolen. According to the government in Vaduz, it is unclear who is behind the attack.
The target of the attack was the “Register of Beneficial Owners”, as the Principality’s government announced on Sunday evening. The law governing the register came into force in 2021 to implement the requirements of the European Union’s anti-money laundering directives. Until banking secrecy was abolished in 2017, Liechtenstein had been used by numerous tax evaders for their own ends.
According to preliminary findings, during the night of Thursday (July 30), “an unknown perpetrator gained unauthorised access to the register via digital means”, the Liechtenstein government’s statement continued.
+ Swiss beneficial owner register to tackle money laundering
Over the course of Thursday, irregularities were noticed at the Office of Justice, which called in the Office of Information Technology. As a precaution, the latter took the affected system offline. Finally, on Friday, the government was informed, and on Saturday the first confirmed results of the preliminary investigations were forwarded to the government.
The crisis management team, convened by the Liechtenstein government on Saturday evening, is headed by Prime Minister Brigitte Haas and Minister of Justice Emanuel Schädler. The primary objective is “to investigate the incident thoroughly as quickly as possible, to inform those affected and to implement countermeasures”, it was stated.
According to current information, there is no evidence to suggest that data in the system has been altered or deleted, the Liechtenstein government added. In the main edition of the “Tagesschau” news programme on Swiss Radio and Television (SRF), Prime Minister Haas also said that no ransom demands had been received so far, nor had the data appeared on the dark web.
On Monday, the crisis management team intended to provide an update on further developments.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
