Lithuanian justice minister says her ministry not responsible for Register Centre data security

Lithuania’s Justice Ministry is not responsible for securing the data held by the country’s Register Centre, Minister Rita Tamašunienė said on Wednesday, despite the ministry’s formal role as the legal administrator of state registers.

Speaking to reporters, Tamašunienė clarified that while the ministry oversees regulatory frameworks, the Register Centre itself bears full responsibility for technical security, access controls, and functional safeguards.

“Data controllers are responsible for legislative matters and measures. But the Register Centre is responsible for data protection, technical parameters, functionality, and access permissions,” she stated.

Her comments follow reports by the BNS news agency that the Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating potential unauthorised access to over 600,000 real estate registry entries—including personal identification codes—allegedly obtained by breaching Migration Department employees’ accounts from abroad.

Tamašunienė acknowledged the incident exposed “many vulnerabilities” but noted that since the start of this year, all state institutions have been implementing new cybersecurity systems under updated legislation. She called for accelerating ongoing reforms, including mandatory two-factor authentication, stricter password policies, and refresher training for staff.

“There will likely be changes in legislation as well, and the Justice Ministry will certainly engage in those processes,” she added.

President Gitanas Nausėda earlier suggested the breach could be linked to hostile state activity, while the Prosecutor General’s Office has not restricted public disclosure of the case.