Politicians may have proposed concealing large-scale data breach, opposition leader claims

The leader of Lithuania’s opposition Liberal Movement, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, has suggested that politicians may have been behind the decision to withhold information about a major data breach at the country’s Centre of Registers, public broadcaster LRT reports.

Speaking to Žinių Radijas on Thursday, Čmilytė-Nielsen said Friday’s meeting of the National Security and Defence Committee (NSGK) should determine who proposed and approved the decision to remain silent about the breach, which exposed personal data—including property records and ID numbers—of over 600,000 individuals.

“It’s unclear why, until the pre-trial investigation began on April 15, those affected weren’t even notified,” she said. “The growing sense in recent days is that someone—likely a politician—decided this should be hushed up.”

Čmilytė-Nielsen criticised the delay in disclosure, noting that victims faced heightened risks during the nearly two months authorities knew of the breach. “If criminals have someone’s ID number, address, or property details, the potential for harm is enormous,” she said. “Laws clearly require notification, yet that didn’t happen.”

The opposition leader also questioned why state institutions accessing the Centre of Registers’ database are not subject to two-factor authentication. She called on the NSGK to mandate urgent security reviews across government agencies to address vulnerabilities.

Prosecutors are investigating unauthorised access to the property registry, allegedly carried out from abroad using compromised Migration Department credentials. The breach was detected in early April but dates back to the start of the year.