Ethical hacker behind MGA data breach alleges organised crime links

In a dramatic post published Friday afternoon (20 March), Wittmann gave a blistering and cryptic account of a mysterious hack at the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) earlier in the week.

This marks the second time Wittmann – who is well-known in Germany for her activities – has used her skills in the gambling sector, after a hack into Merkur’s systems ultimately resulted in several offshore sites shutting down last year .

She wrote: “Dear Malta Gaming Authority, Yes, I hacked you, and the data obtained has been shared with media partners, authorities…”

“And yes, we will expose the organised crime enablement schemes you created while presenting yourselves as a ‘legitimate public service’.”

Wittmann also warned the authorities that any attempt to extradite her to Malta would result in her releasing the data publicly.

“I hope the German authorities are, for once, smart and do not extradite me to Malta, where I would face up to 10 years imprisonment for hacking a public service. Any police action from Malta would also trigger the immediate release of my entire archive of iGaming-related data.”

“I am certain that the information obtained is so valuable for the public discourse that obtaining it will one day, in the not-too-distant future, be seen as a justified necessity.

“As of today, I do not have anything else to the upcoming releases concerning the organised crime networks supported by countries like Malta. Therefore, please refrain from inquiries until further notice.”

In a statement published on Tuesday, the MGA for its part has said the person breached its systems had presented as a security researcher.

The regulator said: “The Authority is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and continues to work closely with its technical teams and the relevant authorities to assess the situation comprehensively. Further updates to impacted entities will be provided in due course.”