Hackers Steal Information

Hackers Steal Information From World Economic Forum

The hack was first reported on Sunday by the Swiss newspaper

SonntagsZeitung. The paper says it has received – anonymously, but clearly from the Forum's opponents – a compact disc containing 161MB of data apparently copied from the Forum's own Web server. The disc is said to include a list of 27,000 names, some of which are paired with data such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers; another list of 1,400 credit card numbers and names; and spreadsheets detailing the travel schedules, hotel accommodations, session registrations and payments, and Web site passwords for all the 3,200 participants in this year's meeting. A Zurich newspaper reported yesterday that it had received a computer disk containing confidential information about participants at World Economic Forum events. The disk, obtained by the Sonntags Zeitung from "anonymous sources," contained - in addition to data from the Forum's Participants'  Booklets - the credit card numbers of approximately 1,400 World Economic Forum members and participants.

We are writing to advise you that computer hackers may have obtained your credit card number. The credit card companies whom we have contacted about this situation recommend that you contact your credit card company to block access to your account. The Forum has set up an internal Hotline (number: 41 22 869 1305) to deal with inquiries surrounding this incident and we urge you to call if you have further questions.responsible for this crime, and has initiated legal proceedings to block any use or dissemination of illegally obtained information. To protect the privacy of our members, we will not be releasing the names of those who appear on the stolen participants' list, nor will we confirm specific names if asked.safeguards to ensure that our state-of-the-art information system is secure in the future. We deeply regret any inconvenience this incident may have caused you, and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

The World Economic Forum has launched an investigation to determine who was