Cyber attackers hit Zurich and Swiss Post pension funds

Cyberattack on the City of Zurich’s pension funds and Swiss Post Keystone-SDA

Following a cyberattack on an external software provider, personal data at the Zurich pension fund – and possibly also that of Swiss Post – was also stolen.

The Swiss city of Zurich said that the pension funds and payments are still functional. Other Swiss pension funds have already been victims of cyberattacks in recent days.

The attack took place at the end of September, Zurich said. Ahead of a switch to a new management system, the pension fund’s data had previously been transferred. The pension fund has filed a criminal complaint.

The fund is trying to determine exactly what information has been stolen and how many people are affected. In the worst-case scenario, the data breach includes personal contact details (name, address, email, telephone number), social security number, marital status, information on partners, the IBAN number and pension-related data such as insured income and assets.

The administrative system used by the funds to manage assets and pay out pensions is not believed to have been affected by the attack.

The Swiss Post pension fund also stated this evening in a press release that it had been the victim of the attack on the software provider. It is not yet clear whether policyholders’ data has been compromised.

In any case, pension assets and pension benefits are not at risk, according to the statement from Swiss Post. However, personal data such as name, address, date of birth, social security number, contact details, email address and pension details may have been affected by the cyberattack.

The cyberattack has also affected other pension funds. Last week, it emerged that data had also been stolen from the Bern Pension Fund and the Bern Teachers’ Insurance Fund.

+ How we produce news in English
Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.