Red Cross cyberattack hits 4,600 people in need

The data of 4,600 people who asked the Dutch Red Cross for help were on the servers hit by a cyberattack at the International Red Cross (ICRC) a week ago. This includes names, dates of birth, country of origin, and parents' names, the Red Cross reported.

The aid organization reported the data breach to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP). The Red Cross said it would inform the affected people as quickly as possible.

The ICRC reported last Thursday that it was hit by a massive cyber attack. Hackers seized the data of over 515,000 "extremely vulnerable people," some of whom were fleeing conflict. 4,600 of them asked for help from the Dutch Red Cross, it now turns out.

The Red Cross said it involves data from the Restoring Family Links service, with which the Red Cross tries to reconnect family members who lost contact due to conflict, disaster, or migration. Because these requests often cross national borders, the Dutch Red Cross cooperates with the ICRC and Red Cross organizations worldwide. The ICRC had to shut down the system behind this service due to the cyber attack.