Swiss Emissions Trading Registry closed following security review
Bern, 17.02.2011 - Routine security checks carried out on the Swiss Emissions Trading Registry on Monday 14 February revealed that the system is vulnerable to attack. As a result, the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) immediately closed the registry. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the FOITT are working to reinforce security.
Various European emissions trading registries have been the target of cyber attacks in recent weeks. As a precautionary measure, the Federal Office for the Environment, the authority responsible for emissions trading, restricted transactions on the Swiss Emissions Trading Registry to office hours on 21 January 2011.
In response to the fraudulent transactions identified in the European system, security checks were carried out on the Swiss registry. These revealed that it is vulnerable to attack. For security reasons, the FOITT immediately closed the registry at the beginning of this week. The system is therefore not accessible at the moment and no transactions are possible. The relevant federal authorities and third-party companies (e.g. software suppliers) are working to reinforce the security measures. This is expected to take several weeks.
To date, the federal authorities have not observed any damage.
As a precautionary measure, the Federal Office for the Environment will require all account holders to change their passwords.
The FOEN will provide an update as soon as further information becomes available.
Address for enquiries
Media Office, Federal Office for the Environment, + 41 (0) 31 322 90 00
Publisher
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en
