Updated 19:27 | Published 19:12
Personal data of applicants to the police may have been leaked in a hacker attack. Up to 64,000 people may be affected.
The hacker attack took place in April against the application system the police use for recruitment purposes, Visma Recruit. The police have now contacted those who may be affected by the feared leak.
– We have sent out emails to those who may be affected. This does not mean that everyone who received the email is affected, says Irene Sokolow, at the police’s National Media Center to SVT.
The email states, among other things:
“An external actor has been able to access information about you, including your contact details and application documents”.
Can’t limit
The police further write that as a private person you probably cannot do anything yourself to limit the damage.
– It is clear that it is not fun that one’s personal data and contact details are leaked. For example, it is my phone number and my email address. The CV itself and information about previous jobs and such information are not fun either, says a woman, one of those who received the email, to Expressen.
She is critical of the police’s use of an external system and intends to report the incident to the Chancellor of Justice.
“Is strange”
– I think it is strange that the police do not have their own systems but use recruitment systems that are easy to hack. Specifically when it comes to authorities and confidentiality, it should be more important to have own systems, says the woman.
Visma Recruit is also used by municipalities around the country and Sweden’s Municipalities and Regions warned after the attack in April that applicants may have had their personal information revealed, writes SVT and refers to Aftonbladet.
The incident has been reported to the police and reported to the Swedish Privacy Protection Authority.