Security hack in Sweden exposes details of alarm systems & bank vault floor plans – report

The online leak of hacked data from a Swedish security group may have compromised a number of bank vaults, alarm systems and even protective measures at the country's parliament, according to local media.

Hackers stole some 19 gigabytes of information from Gunnebo back in August, Dagens Nyheter reported on Tuesday. Some of the company's stolen data was then uploaded to the dark web, and documents are feared to have been circulating online since late September.

The company was reportedly initially unaware its information had been leaked, according to AFP, but Gunnebo denied this in a statement on Tuesday, describing the incident as “extremely regrettable.”

“This is a deplorable incident,” the company's CEO Stefan Syren told AFP, “We've been the target of a criminal network that have committed a very serious crime against Gunnebo.”

In August, the company informed the Swedish Security Service, Säpo, of attempts to hack into its servers, when the 38,000 files were stolen, according to local media. Syren said at the time that industrial espionage “could not be ruled out.”

Among the materials reportedly leaked are security arrangements for the Swedish Parliament and plans for the Swedish Tax Agency's new office outside Stockholm.

Also reportedly leaked were the vault plans for a pair of German banks, the details of the CCTV and alarm system at a branch of Sweden's SEB Bank, and diagrams of a jewelry store.

Gunnebo was reportedly warned in an online letter that documents would be leaked on September 24.

Hacking attacks where the perpetrators demand a ransom for details not to be leaked online are becoming increasingly common. Sweden's neighbor Finland is this week dealing with a similar hack on private healthcare company Vastaamo. 

Records of thousands of psychotherapy patients were stolen from patients who reported being emailed ransom demands of €200 in bitcoin to stop details of their sessions being made public.

On Tuesday, Syren called for organizations targeted by “computer criminals” not to pay ransoms, adding, “It has never been an alternative for Gunnebo to pay a ransom to have the files deleted.” 

An official statement said: “The company decided a few days into the breach to analyze the data on servers around the world. The company has systematically communicated this with affected customers locally.”

Gunnebo lists hospitals, airports and nuclear power plants among its clients. 

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