Hacker steals contact details of Bern police force
Authorities quickly closed the security gap but not soon enough. The data of the entire Bern cantonal policeforce had already been stolen.
Keystone
Full names and phone numbers of all 2,800 employees of the Bernese cantonal police have been leaked to hackers.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SRF/jdp
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) informed the Bern cantonal police on July 21 about a previously unknown security vulnerability in the MobileIron app installed on smartphones of police employees. The app, which is provided by the IT software company Ivanti, is used worldwide to ensure a connection between a smartphone or laptop and servers at company headquarters.
The security gap was quickly closed, but the data had already been leaked, confirmed Flurina Schenk, media spokeswoman for the Bern cantonal police in an interview with Swiss public television, SRF.
The stolen information, including names and phone numbers of police officers, is considered sensitive because it could be used to target police officers. According to the Bern cantonal police, it is not known who stole the data. There’s no evidence thus far that the data has been published online. An investigation has been opened.
Authorities abroad, most recently in Norway, have also fallen victim to the MobileIron security vulnerability.
Switzerland has faced a surge in cyber attacks recently. In June, hackers published data from the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security on the Darknet, after exploiting a vulnerability on the servers of the company that hosted it.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Swiss watch industry calls for ‘clear solution’ with US
This content was published on
Federation of the Watch Industry calls for clear solution to tariff threat and a swift agreement between Bern and Washington.
Swiss youngsters illegally obtain alcohol in a quarter of test purchases
This content was published on
In a quarter of all alcohol test purchases last year, young people in Switzerland were able to obtain beer, wine or spirits illegally.
Swiss storm damage more frequent and more expensive
This content was published on
Storm damage has increased by 126% in the last ten years. Costs have risen by 133% in the same period, according to Helvetia Insurance.
Switzerland plans to tighten S-status permits for Ukrainians
This content was published on
Swiss S-status refugee permits should only be granted to Ukrainian regions where life and limb are concretely threatened.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss government and Federal Railways hit by cyberattacks
This content was published on
Swiss federal government websites and the online portal of the Swiss Federal Railways have been victims of malicious online attacks.
This content was published on
Hackers have published data from the federal police and customs offices on the Darknet, after an attack on the servers of the host company.
This content was published on
A hacker group has published stolen data from a Swiss newspaper group on the darknet. According to reports, this also includes employee data.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.