Data breach affects over 70,000 Cypriot citizens through inactive GigaVoucher platform

The Cypriot Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy is investigating a significant data breach involving approximately 73,000 citizens. The leak originated from the GigaVoucher platform, which was used three years ago for connectivity subsidies and is currently inactive. Authorities clarified that the incident was not a direct hack of government infrastructure but resulted from the theft of an authorized user's credentials. This platform was accessible to 13 internet service providers and was hosted on a server in Germany for European Commission audit purposes. The leaked information includes names, addresses, and phone numbers, though the government denies any exposure of banking or financial data. A sample of 30 names has already appeared on the dark web, where the full database is reportedly for sale. Senior Official Andronikos Kakkouras confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection has been notified. Affected individuals will be informed individually as the ministry monitors for further unauthorized activity.