The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) revealed on Monday that during the data breach at Valtor, the Government IT and Communications Agency, similar types of cyber crimes were also committed across Europe. This disclosure emphasizes the broader context of cyber threats affecting multiple nations and highlights the necessity for international cooperation in combating such crimes. KRP is currently investigating the breach under the serious data breach offense, indicating the severity of the situation and the potential implications for governmental data security.

The data breach, reported at the end of January, could have compromised information from approximately 50,000 devices linked to state ICT services. This includes sensitive data associated with government staff, including ministers. The ongoing investigation has revealed critical flaws in the data management systems, as it has been discovered that the governing systems did not permanently delete removed data, but merely marked it as deleted. This raises significant concerns about the integrity of the data handling protocols and the overall cybersecurity measures in place.

Valtori has stated that despite the severity of the breach, no highly sensitive personal information was leaked; instead, only technical identifiers were compromised. This highlights a somewhat reassuring aspect of the breach, but also points to the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks that could potentially target more sensitive information in the future. As KRP collaborates with international partners in this investigation, it underlines the importance of vigilance and enhanced cybersecurity measures not only in Finland but also across Europe as similar incidents are being reported elsewhere.