14 DAY TRIAL // A total of four data tapes apparently containing backup files from Swiss telecoms company Swisscom have been given by an unnamed individual to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) newspaper.
NZZ gave three of the tapes back to Swisscom on Tuesday. The fourth tape has been returned to the source.
Swisscom says it’s still analyzing the data from the devices. However, the initial investigation has revealed that the tapes come from two data centers. They appear to contain backups from 2008 to 2012.
NZZ has revealed that the information includes emails from Swisscom employees.
“It cannot be ruled out at the present time that customer information is stored on the tapes,” Swisscom stated.
The company notes that such storage devices haven’t been used since 2012, being replaced with hard disks.
An internal investigation has been launched and the Federal Data Protection Commissioner has been notified of the incident. In addition, criminal charges have been filed with the public prosecutor in Bern-Mittelland since the company currently assumes that someone obtained the tapes motivated by criminal intent.
Swisscom is currently trying to track down the fourth storage device.