Lithuanian president criticises delayed disclosure of mass data breach at registry centre

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has condemned the delayed public disclosure of a major data breach at the country’s Registry Centre (RC), where personal property records of 600,000 residents were stolen, calling the incident a “serious national security threat,” **LRT** reports.

Speaking after an emergency meeting of the State Defence Council (VGT) on Monday, Nausėda demanded answers from officials over the handling of the breach, which was first detected in early March but only made public last week. He dismissed claims that prosecutors had prohibited earlier disclosure, stating there was “no legal restriction” preventing authorities from warning the public sooner.

“The delay in informing society is unjustifiable,” Nausėda said. “Hiding behind supposed prosecutorial demands is unacceptable. This information should have been released immediately—it would have allowed people to take precautions and reduce their risk.”

While no confirmed cases of fraud using the stolen data have yet emerged, the president warned that criminals could still exploit the records. He stressed that institutions must urgently strengthen cybersecurity, calling it “unforgivable” to boast of Lithuania’s high global cybersecurity rankings while facing such a scandal.

The VGT session also addressed recent airspace violations by drones, which have triggered multiple air threat alerts across the Baltic states in recent days.

Tags: cybersecurity, data breach, lithuania