Personal details of over 21,000 people have been leaked online as part of a hack into the Nationalist Party.

The leak includes sensitive details of individuals, believed to be tesserati (paid-up members), such as their names, addresses, ID numbers, and mobile phones. The leak contains about 1.3 gigabytes worth of data.

It also includes details of current and former employees at Media.Link, the party’s media wing. The leak contains invoices, payroll, and other reports.

The PN believes that the data is from 2014 and earlier. 

Speaking to the Times of Malta, the PN said it was “doing its utmost to minimise the impact”.

“The PN trusts that any person or entity privy to such data does not use any data emanating from this hacking attack, for any purpose, and, thus, become an accomplice to a crime.”

The attack occurred on 19th April after Avaddon ransomware was opened in the PN’s IT system. The PN insisted that it would not cooperate with hackers – asking for the police to intervene. Several deadlines were missed and now the hackers have acted on their threat.

Avaddon is a type of malware often attached to malicious emails. The ransomware obtained a series of sensitive information, including employee salaries, financial data, employee personal details, their passport photos, client data, payment documents and more” will be released on the dark web.

It is not uncommon for this type of ransomware to target companies and individuals around the world, though it is the first time that a major Maltese political party was attacked and threatened in such a way.

A magisterial inquiry is already underway, led by Victor Axiaq.

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