Chile probes data theft and posting by hacker

Prosecutor Jose Ignacio Escobar, a specialist in high-tech crime, opened the probe as the government announced plans to step up data protection.

Police chief Jaime Jara said the weekend data leak did not include financial records and was less serious than first thought.

The information accessed by a hacker included identity card numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mails and academic records.

"For what we have seen until now, the leaked data does not include information related to banking accounts, salaries or other economic aspects," Jara said.

The data was taken early Friday from servers at the Education Ministry, the Electoral Service and the military, he said.

The administrator of a local technology-oriented Web site, Leo Prieto, discovered the errant information on the Internet early Saturday and contacted police. It is not clear exactly when the data was posted online.

The information was promptly removed from the Internet, but Prieto said some people may have downloaded it "and it may still be around on the Internet."

Jara said police have no suspects. The hacker left a message saying he was trying "to demonstrate how poorly protected the data in Chile is, and how nobody works to protect it."

He signed off as "Anonymous Coward."