Forumula 1 drivers at risk of blackmail because of a stolen hard drive

Sophos is reminding organisations and home users of the importance of securely disposing of computer equipment, in light of the arrest of a man accused of attempting to blackmail Formula One racing drivers Adrian Sutil and Lewis Hamilton.

German police are reported to have arrested a man who allegedly tried to sell a hard disk which had belonged to Sutil, and contained personal information, details of Swiss bank account transactions, photographs, and private correspondence between the 25-year-old German who drives for Force India, and his racing ace friend, Lewis Hamilton.

The suspect, who has only been named as “Dieter”, was arrested by undercover detectives at an autobahn service station outside Munich as he tried to sell the disk to Bild Motorsport magazine for 10,000 Euros (approximately GBP 8,000).

Dieter faces charges of attempted blackmail and possession of stolen personal data.  If found guilty, he could face a maximum of up to five years in jail.