Security News > 2021 > July > Estonia arrests hacker who stole 286K ID scans from govt database
A Tallinn man was arrested a week ago in Estonia under suspicion that he has exploited a government photo transfer service vulnerability to download ID scans of 286,438 Estonians from the Identity Documents Database.
"During the searches, investigators found the downloaded photos from a database in the person's possession, along with the names and personal identification codes of the people," Oskar Gross, head of the police's cybercrime unit, said.
The suspect downloaded the government document photos using the targets' names and personal ID codes.
"It is not possible to gain access to e-services, give a digital signature, or to perform different financial transactions using a document photo, personal identification code, or name," RIA Director General Margus Noormaa added.
"People whose document photos have been stolen need not apply for a new physical or digital document or take a new document photo. All identity documents and photos remain valid."
All Estonian citizens who had their ID scans and personal information stolen during the incident will be notified via email by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.