Cyberattack on Supplier Affects Over 90,000 Members of Two Bern Pension Funds
The canton of Bern disclosed on Friday 9 October that an external software supplier used by both the Bern Pension Fund and the Bern Teachers' Insurance Fund was hit by a cyberattack at the end of September. Together, the two funds cover more than 63,000 insured members and 28,000 pensioners — over 90,000 people in total, based on year-end figures.
The supplier reported the attack to the police, and the cantonal public prosecutor's office is investigating. There is currently no evidence that members' data was stolen, though authorities said a leak cannot be entirely ruled out. Both funds have activated their response procedures and will keep affected members informed.
It is the second such disclosure in Swiss pensions within a week: the federal pension fund Publica also revealed a data breach at one of its suppliers earlier this week. Switzerland's occupational pension system — the 'second pillar' covering most employees — relies heavily on external IT providers, putting supply-chain security under regulatory and public scrutiny.
Ransomware and data-theft attacks on public institutions and their contractors have been rising across Europe. The canton of Bern said it would assess, in light of the investigation, whether security requirements for suppliers need tightening.
Source: Keystone-SDA/swissinfo.ch reporting.
Source: Keystone-SDA/swissinfo.ch
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 数据中心机房（资料图），BalticServers.com 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）
