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Abu Dhabi Finance Week Says Passport Data Leak Contained After Researcher Discovery

Organisers blame a third-party storage vendor, stating their review found access limited to the researcher who flagged the issue.

Overview

  • Scans of more than 700 passports and state identity cards tied to the December finance conference were found on an unprotected cloud server, the Financial Times reported.
  • The storage was secured after inquiries from the FT, and organisers say the issue involved a limited subset of ADFW 2025 attendees.
  • Freelance security researcher Roni Suchowski said the documents were accessible using a simple web browser.
  • Media reports named high-profile figures including David Cameron, Alan Howard and Anthony Scaramucci, identities ADFW has not confirmed.
  • Organisers say affected registered guests have been notified, highlighting concerns over vendor-managed cloud security and the UAE’s reputation as a business hub.