Lithuania’s defence minister declines to disclose protection measures for officials after data breach

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has confirmed that Lithuanian officials affected by a major data breach at the Centre of Registers are receiving assistance, but refused to disclose details of the security measures being implemented, citing operational risks, LRT reports.

Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Kaunas was questioned about when he was informed of the incident—where migration department access was exploited to steal property registry data—and what steps were taken to protect intelligence and national security personnel whose information was compromised.

The minister stated that a preliminary assessment of the stolen data and its potential damage has been completed, with evaluations ongoing. “The list of actions taken and planned remains non-public to avoid disrupting institutional operations and creating additional risks,” he said, declining further comment on media interpretations of the breach.

Kaunas emphasised that disclosure could “harm institutional activities and generate risks.”

The breach, first reported by the Prosecutor General’s Office in May, involved unauthorised access to Centre of Registers databases from “a foreign state via systems administered by other institutions,” resulting in the theft of over 600,000 records, including personal identification numbers linked to property ownership. The director of the Centre of Registers, Adrijus Jusas, resigned following the scandal.