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Ransomware (extortion): Municipality and public administration, Switzerland 2023

At the end of April 2023, unknown persons broke into the systems of the guardianship authority of the municipality of Saxon in Valais; according to the cantonal police, data was stolen and encrypted.

  • Incident · 04.2023 · Saxon VS, Switzerland
  • Evidence: confirmed by an authority
  • Ransomware (extortion)
  • Data breach

As of

On this page
  1. What happened
  2. Who would have paid?
  3. Lessons
  4. Sources
  5. Similar cases

What happened

The group «Play» put Saxon on its leak site and threatened to publish data from 11 May, but then extended the deadline. The cyber unit of the cantonal police and the public prosecutor’s office investigated.

Affected
Municipality of Saxon
Loss
no reliable figure
Business interruption
unknown
Ransom demanded / paid
yes / unknown
Data affected
Data of the guardianship authority (type and extent not stated)
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.

  • Restore data and systems

    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.

  • Cyber extortion

    Help and negotiation; only some insurers pay the ransom, see note

    Mostly add-on 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.

  • Inform affected people

    Letters, call centre, credit monitoring

    Mostly covered 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.

  • Third-party claims after a data breach

    Liability for data protection and network security breaches

    Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.

  • Proceedings before authorities

    Costs of FDPIC or GDPR proceedings, usually not fines

    Mostly limited 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.

  • 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.

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

Authorities with particularly sensitive personal data need separate backups and a plan for informing those affected.

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Sources

Similar cases

Three ways forward