The data of about 1.2 million individuals and 200,000 companies from Latvia were stolen in a massive cyber attack, Latvian authorities reported on Tuesday, according to the dpa agency.
The attack was carried out last week, and data such as names and surnames, addresses, payment details, and vehicle registration numbers were stolen, stated the Latvian Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD). This country, a former Soviet republic now a member of the EU and NATO, has a population of approximately 1.9 million inhabitants.
It is still unclear who is behind the cyber attack. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs stated that the operation being carried out from another country cannot be ruled out. The Latvian cyber security authority and CSDD have warned that the stolen data could be used abusively. Prime Minister Kulbergs has ordered investigations and criticized the CSDD for informing him late about this incident.
“I must say that I am unpleasantly surprised by a certain negligence regarding IT security that exists in some regulatory authorities and governmental institutions,” said the head of the government, who took this opportunity to recall a cyber attack that targeted the national forestry administration in June.
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