Malware: Municipality and public administration, Switzerland 2021
In October 2021, a hacker was discovered in the Montreux administration; the attack may have begun one to two weeks earlier.
- Incident · 10.2021 · Montreux VD, Switzerland
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Malware
As of
What happened
The municipality disconnected its IT system from that of the canton, and the administration temporarily had neither Wi-Fi nor internet. A crisis team, the police and specialists from the canton and the federal government investigated whether data had been encrypted or stolen.
- Affected
- Municipality of Montreux
- Loss
- no reliable figure
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- unknown
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- not stated in the sources
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
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Immediate help in an emergency
Hotline, IT forensics, crisis PR and legal advice
Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Loss of income after an attack
Business interruption, only after the waiting period
Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Costs of getting data, software and systems running again
Mostly covered 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
Quickly disconnecting from the network limits the damage but paralyses the administration; emergency operation should be prepared.
Sources
- Cyberattacke auf die Verwaltung von Montreux VD (opens in a new window) Nau.ch (gestützt auf Mitteilung der Association Sécurité Riviera) · 13.10.2021
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