Cyberattack exposed data of 31,000 people in Liechtenstein’s beneficial ownership register for companies and foundations.
A cyberattack compromised data belonging to about 31,000 people in Liechtenstein’s register of beneficial owners linked to companies, foundations, and trusts.
Liechtenstein’s Register of People Behind Companies and Foundations is a government-maintained register of beneficial ownership. Its purpose is to identify the natural persons who ultimately own or control legal entities established in Liechtenstein, even when those entities are held through layers of companies, trusts, or nominees.
The register was created to comply with international anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) standards, particularly those promoted by the Financial Action Task Force and European transparency rules.
The register typically contains information on individuals connected to:
- Companies (e.g., limited liability companies and corporations)
- Foundations (a common legal structure in Liechtenstein)
- Trust enterprises and trusteeships
- Other legal entities required to disclose their beneficial owners
The information generally includes:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Country of residence
- Nature and extent of ownership or control (e.g., percentage of shares or voting rights)
Authorities are investigating the incident and assessing the impact on affected individuals and organizations.
Liechtenstein’s register of economic beneficiaries was breached overnight last Wednesday to Thursday. Authorities detected the intrusion on Thursday, secured the data, and took the system offline in response to the security breach. Officials said there is no evidence that any records were altered or deleted during the cyberattack.
The government established a crisis unit over the weekend to investigate the cyberattack, the Associated Press reported.
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