A financially motivated felony hacking group says it has stolen a confidential database containing thousands and thousands of information that firms use for screening potential prospects for hyperlinks to sanctions and monetary crime.
The hackers, which name themselves GhostR, mentioned they stole 5.3 million information from the World-Examine screening database in March and are threatening to publish the information on-line.
World-Examine is a screening database used for “know your buyer” checks (or KYC), permitting firms to find out if potential prospects are excessive danger or potential criminals, equivalent to individuals with hyperlinks to cash laundering or who’re beneath authorities sanctions.The hackers informed information.killnetswitch that they stole the information from a Singapore-based agency with entry to the World-Examine database, however didn’t identify the agency.
A portion of the stolen information, which the hackers shared with information.killnetswitch, consists of people who had been sanctioned as just lately as this 12 months.
Simon Henrick, a spokesperson for the London Inventory Alternate Group, which maintains the database, informed information.killnetswitch: “This was not a security breach of LSEG/our programs. The incident entails a 3rd occasion’s information set, which features a copy of the World-Examine information file. This was illegally obtained from the third occasion’s system. We’re liaising with the affected third occasion, to make sure our information is protected and making certain that any applicable authorities are notified.”
LSEG didn’t identify the third-party firm, however didn’t dispute the quantity of knowledge stolen.
The portion of stolen information seen by information.killnetswitch accommodates information on 1000’s of individuals, together with present and former authorities officers, diplomats, and personal firms whose leaders are thought of “politically uncovered individuals,” who’re at the next danger of involvement in corruption or bribery. The record additionally accommodates people accused of involvement in organized crime, suspected terrorists, intelligence operatives, and a European spyware and adware vendor.
The information varies by report. The database accommodates names, passport numbers, Social Safety numbers, on-line crypto account identifiers and checking account numbers, and extra.
World-Examine is at the moment owned by the London Inventory Alternate Group following a $27 billion deal to purchase monetary information supplier Refinitiv in 2021. LSEG collects data from public sources, together with sanctions lists, authorities sources, and information shops, then gives the database as a subscription to firms for conducting buyer due diligence.
In 2016, an older copy of the World-Examine database leaked on-line following a security lapse at a third-party firm with entry to the information, together with a former advisor to the U.Okay. authorities that World-Examine had utilized a “terrorism” label to his identify. Banking large HSBC shut down financial institution accounts belonging to a number of outstanding British Muslims after the World-Examine database branded them with “terrorism” tags.
A spokesperson for the U.Okay.’s information safety authority, the Data Commissioner’s Workplace, didn’t instantly touch upon the breach.
To contact this reporter, get in contact on Sign and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849, or by e-mail. It’s also possible to ship information and paperwork by way of SecureDrop.
