In a statement, Bettel said: "The Intelligence Service was ordered to determine and rectify any potential weaknesses in the government's information network, a process which was executed immediately."
Earlier this month, we reported on a flaw in the State Intelligence Service (SREL) network that was discovered by a government employee, who wanted to apply for a position in the intelligence department. Without internal access, he was supposedly able to access around 80 names of current employees from the service records:
RTL Today article: Data leak at the secret service? (6 Nov. 2020)Bettel's response suggests that the person in question used his government access to acquire the list of names, which is only partially accurate. The Prime Minister further noted that the employee set out to prove he had the necessary qualities to join the intelligence service.
When asked about this assertion, the employee in question denied ever stating his actions should be understood as proof of his suitability for a job. He also underlined that he managed to acquire the names without his internal access, explaining this could be done via any Outlook account. The employee said that his main goal now was to point out the severity of the flaw he had discovered.
The Prime Minister's response on the other hand underlines that the employee contacted the Ministry of State on several occasions to raise awareness of his actions and emphasise his desire for a position in the intelligence community.
Bettel finally stressed that the identity of employees in the intelligence service needs to be protected at all costs. After the latest meetings on the issue last week, a third session of the Chamber's oversight commission has now been ordered for Friday.
