Just days after its anti-covid digital solutions were awarded at a prestigious nationwide contest, the Moscow mayor’s office admitted that some 300,000 Moscow Covid-19 patients were affected by a huge data breach.
The incident was revealed by online publication Readovka, according to which not only patients’ full names, but also their address details and Covid-related medical information has been made accessible online.
The leak was “due to the human factor,” an employee mistake, said the authorities. “No hacks or any other unauthorized interference in the work of the Moscow government’s information systems took place,” they assured.
“Measures will be taken” based on the results of the ongoing investigation, said Eduard Lysenko, head of Moscow City’s IT Department.
In spring, Russian coronavirus patients already faced a mass wave of doxxing attacks: their identities and private data are being made public on messaging apps and social media.” As reported by Meduza, “the attacks often stemmed from leaks of medical and law enforcement data that came directly from doctors and police officers themselves. The victims of the leaks then faced harassment online and occasionally in person, with strangers threatening them and their families.”
