Worries grow over personal data breach, as second leaked document distributed 

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times December 24, 2021 11:42

Worries grow over personal data breach, as second leaked document distributed 

Story Highlights

  • PM apologizes, says aim of the leak is to cause social discord. Opposition seeks his resignation.

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TIRANA, Dec. 24 - Albanian prosecutors have seized the servers and are interrogating employees at three suspected institutions where they now believe insiders obtained and leaked personal and wage data for more than 690,000 employees.

A new data dump from April 2021, containing more information than the first from January 2021 started circulating as Prime Minister Edi Rama apologized at a press conference to residents for the publication of personal data, and promised those responsible would be found and punished.

Rama said the aim was to cause social discord and disturbance. He added it appears the leak is an insider job and external security of the servers had not been breached, although he did not dismiss the possibility of a cyber attack.

While salary information is one aspect most are focusing on, security experts warn that the database contains other information that can be a treasure trove for criminal groups and other malign actors, and that severe outcomes are possible. 

The leaked file has been circulating online, mostly through the WhatsApp instant messenger. Several Albanian media outlets have started publishing extracts of information involving public figures.

The opposition has called for Rama’s resignation over the affair and blamed the Socialist Party and its government for "misusing this data for electoral purposes," tying the breach to an earlier one in which the ruling Socialist Party’s database containing the personal information of nearly a million Albanian voters as well as their political leanings was leaked ahead of the April 25 elections.

 

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times December 24, 2021 11:42