Swiss authorities face ransom choices after Akira data theft

Switzerland’s federal authorities may have received a ransom demand after the Akira hacker group stole pension data that could expose undercover police officers and intelligence personnel, SRF reports. The stolen data includes information on thousands of Swiss people insured with the Publica pension fund.

Authorities were immediately alarmed by the possibility that the data could reveal entire staff lists at the intelligence service. The federal government is likely to have temporarily halted foreign missions, increased protection for people using assumed identities and possibly brought staff home from abroad, SRF’s federal correspondent Dominik Meier reported.

Both Publica and its software provider deny receiving a ransom demand. Cybersecurity expert Nicolas Mayencourt has concluded that the demand must therefore have gone to the federal government. Officials have not commented publicly.

The government has three broad options: accept the risk that the data could be sold and become accessible to other intelligence services; negotiate with the hackers to reduce the ransom; or pay. Any payment would likely be made covertly, potentially through intermediaries or other countries, and would not be officially confirmed.

The Swiss government’s stated position is never to pay hackers or contact them. But SRF reports that at least one state-owned company has paid a ransom in the past. More than a year ago, during attacks on arms manufacturer Ruag, the recipient was Akira, the same group now holding the Publica data.