ECB Website Hacked, with Personal Data Stolen

Hackers have broken into a European Central Bank database and stolen personal information, the central bank said Thursday. The email addresses and other contact details were held, some unencrypted, in a database for the ECB’s public website, where people register for the bank’s conferences and visits.

“No internal systems or market sensitive data were compromised,” the ECB said, noting that the affected database system is physically separate from its internal networks. The security breach was discovered via an attempt to blackmail the central bank.

“An anonymous email was sent to the ECB seeking financial compensation for the data,” the ECB said. German police are investigating the theft.

Source: MarketWatch