Business executives and politicians exposed in Abu Dhabi data leak: Report
Abu Dhabi's flagship investment conference exposed hundreds of passports and other ID documents belonging to high-profile individuals, including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and podcaster and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
The FT reported that scans of more than 700 passports and state identity cards were found on an unprotected cloud storage server associated with the UAE's Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), which was held in December.
The data was accessible to anyone using a simple web browser, the FT reported. According to the report, the private data was available online until Monday, when the FT questioned ADFW.
In a statement to the FT, ADFW said that the leak was the result of "a vulnerability in a third-party vendor-managed storage environment”.
"The environment was secured immediately upon identification, and our initial review indicates that access activity was limited to the researcher that identified the issue," the ADFW statement reads.
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The exposure comes at a critical time for the UAE, as tensions with neighbouring Saudi Arabia rise. The erstwhile allies have clashed over Sudan, Yemen, and Israel.
Middle East Eye revealed that the UAE pressed pro-Israel US lobbying groups, including the Abu Dhabi-based American Jewish Committee, to condemn Saudi Arabia.
US President Donald Trump was asked about the tensions on Monday. He said he was not involved in the dispute, but added, “They do indeed have a rift.”
There is also an economic dimension to the rift, adding another layer to the data leak.
Both Gulf states are courting global corporations and positioning themselves as competitive, competent business hubs to attract foreign capital.
The UAE is often described as decades ahead of Saudi Arabia in this race. The UAE is made up of seven emirates. Dubai has emerged as the leading trading hub.
Abu Dhabi is wealthier than energy-poor Dubai, but it is also diversifying its economy and has become popular with expatriates in recent years.
Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, attended the ADFW event.
The speaker lineup included government ministers and senior executives from UBS, Blackstone, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley, along with crypto companies such as Tether.
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