Red Cross begs hackers not to leak data on 500,000 people

The International Red Cross detected an attack hacker yesterday (19) that compromised the data of 515,000 people in vulnerable situations – among the information, there may be data on who was separated from the family due to armed conflicts, migrations, catastrophes and missing persons with their loved ones.

The institution, which provides humanitarian assistance in different parts of the world, asks that the information not be leaked or commercialized.

“Your actions could cause more harm and pain to people who have already suffered unspeakable suffering. Please do what is right. Do not share, sell, leak or otherwise use this data,” said Robert Mardini, ICRC Director-General ( International Committee of the Red Cross), in a statement.

What is known about the attack on the Red Cross

The attack compromised Restore Family Links, a service of the entity age that helps bring families together. The site is still offline and, according to Ars Technica, the page was last updated on December 27, indicating that the attack may have taken place a few weeks ago.

During conflicts and catastrophes, families can lose track of a relative. The ICRC and national Red Cross and Red Crescent society work to discover the whereabouts of missing people, exchange messages and reunite families.

The Red Cross, whose headquarters are in Geneva (Switzerland), does not know who authored the cyber attack and it is not yet known whether the information obtained has been disclosed or shared. The target of the attack was a service provider company with which the entity has a data storage contract.

The data compromised by the hackers includes information from at least 60 national companies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent from around the world.

“Each day, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement helps round up an average of 12 missing persons with their families. Cyber ​​attacks like this jeopardize this vital work,” said Mardini.

*With information from AFP and the Ars Technica website