A cyberattack compromised tens of thousands of records related to companies, foundations and trusts in Liechtenstein, prompting the government to to form a “crisis unit” to address the breach.
The unknown attackers gained access to the Register of Beneficial Owners for two days beginning on July 29, the government announced over the weekend. The register, which contains information on who owns legal entities in the country, was created in 2021 in accordance with European Union rules around money laundering and financial transparency.
The Office of Justice, which houses the registry, first noticed the intrusion and the affected systems were quickly taken offline. An initial investigation determined that data related to 31,000 entities was exfiltrated, and there is no evidence that information was modified or deleted.
Despite its tiny size — Liechtenstein is home to about 40,000 people — the country is a financial services powerhouse and a wealth management hub for clients around the world.
A crisis team headed by Prime Minister Brigitte Haas and Minister of Justice Emanuel Schädler was formed to address the issue.
Cyberattacks targeting government registries are common and can provide cybercriminals and spies access to troves of sensitive data. In France, three separate incidents in the last year led to the compromise of data belonging to the Education Ministry, the agency that issues identity documents and a database that keeps records on all bank accounts in the country.
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