Security News > 2022 > January > Red Cross forced to shutter family reunion service following cyberattack and data leak

Humanitarian organization the International Red Cross disclosed this week that it has fallen foul of a cyberattack that saw the data of over 515,000 "Highly vulnerable people" exposed to an unknown entity.

The target of the attack was the organisation's Restoring Family Links operation, which strives to find missing persons and reunite those separated from their families due to armed conflict, migration, disaster, detention and other catastrophic events.

Among the stolen data were names, locations, and contact information.

The org said the data originated from at least 60 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies around the world.

The Red Cross said the attack jeopardizes its work, and pleaded with the perp not to leak the data.

"Because of the attack, we have been obliged to shut down the systems underpinning our Restoring Family Links work, affecting the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's ability to reunite separated family members," said the Red Cross in a canned statement.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/01/20/red_cross_hit_by_cyberattack/