Another Belgian organisation has fallen victim to hackers. The Institute of Tropical Medicine has seen hackers make off with the data of 2,300 people.
The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG) in Antwerp has reported a break-in via Belga. Fortunately, the perpetrators did not make off with tropical diseases or vaccines, but they did take the personal data of some 2,300 people. ITG confirms that it has informed those affected and has also filed a complaint with the police. Other systems are said not to have been hit, so care and services can continue without disruption.
The break-in probably took place about two weeks ago. The hackers targeted the server of an application used for healthcare and scientific research. With the help of external experts, the server was quickly taken offline, but it was too late to prevent the theft of personal data.
It is unclear whether the 2,300 people whose data was taken are mainly employees of the institute or patients. ITG does say that most of the stolen data is anonymous and cannot be linked to specific individuals. For ‘a limited number of people’, however, it can. Those people have been informed.
Wave of data breaches
The incident at ITG reads like a classic data breach, and unfortunately there have been many of those in Belgium in recent weeks. In just a few weeks, the Walloon training network IFAPME, the supermarket chains Albert Heijn and Delhaize and local councils were among those hit. Hackers are particularly active these days and no sector is being spared.
Yesterday, FOD Financiën reported that it had been hit by a cyberattack. This one was aimed more at disrupting the government’s online services, at least temporarily.