ID card crisis cost Information System Authority €1 million
Estonia's Information System Authority (RIA) is to submit a request to the government via the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to cover the costs incurred in resolving the security risk affecting Estonia's national ID cards in the total amount of €1,115,616, daily Postimees writes.
The final sum includes costs related to development work done by companies, the public information campaign notifying Estonian residents, increasing the capacity of the information line as well as additional personnel costs incurred during the issue's resolution period.
The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is furthermore demanding ID card manufacturer Gemalto to pay €20 million in connection with the security risk. The PPA is the authority which orders the manufacturing of Estonia's ID cards and in whose offices people updated their faulty ID cards, including outside of regular hours of operation.
On Aug. 30, an international group of researchers informed the RIA that they had discovered a security risk affecting all ID cards issued in Estonia beginning in October 2014, including ID cards issued to Estonian e-residents. The Estonian government, RIA and PPA announced the risk to the public at the beginning of September.
ID cards issued prior to Oct. 16, 2014 used a different kind of chip and were not affected by the risk. The security risk likewise does not affect Mobile-ID users.
According to current information, the security risk has not been realized with any specific card.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
