14 DAY TRIAL // Thousands of individuals, some of which with protected identities, may become exposed after hackers targeted Logica, an IT company that serves several government organizations, including Skatteverek, Sweden’s Tax Agency.
The exact number of affected people is unknown, but The Local informs that the incident is being investigated by both law enforcement representatives and specialists from the tax agency.
Preliminary results show that the personal identity numbers (the Swedish equivalent of social security numbers) of numerous individuals were accessed, 1,000 of which had protected identities.
“This is a terrible failure for the tax agency. People with protected identities are generally crime victims, abused and persecuted women, witnesses under threat, judges, police officers and journalists. Their lives could depend on not being detected,” a source told Expressen.
It’s uncertain if other information has been accessed during the breach, but according to Skatteverek’s head of security, the possibility exists. While the incident is being handled, authorities refrain from making suppositions because they fear people may panic unnecessarily.
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