Thousands of Moscow’s wealthiest residents had their information compromised after Moscow-based internet provider Akado Telecom experienced a leak.
The incident was discovered last week and was found to have exposed personal data including names, home addresses and mobile numbers, according to a Reuters report.
The data was uploaded to the database of, RIPE NCC, a not-for-profit regional internet registry for Europe of which Akado Telecom is a part of. Aleksei Semenyaka, a RIPE NCC communications director, told the news agency Akado Telecom must have uploaded information and that the the customer details could now be accessed freely.
“We always respond to criticism with attention and gratitude and conduct thorough analyses to uncover vulnerabilities in our information systems in order to prevent possible data leaks,” the firm said in a statement.
Akado Telecom has since launched an investigation into the incident but did not say whether it knew the private data of its clients had been published or whether the company had provided the information. The telecommunications network is owned by billionaire businessman Viktor Vekselberg.