In a move that would make even the most seasoned spy do a double take while clutching their invisibility briefcase, Switzerland has managed to accidentally leak one of its most sensitive intelligence dossiers through the digital equivalent of forgetting to put a lid on the encrypted cookie jar.
The misstep came courtesy of a report published online by the Swiss defense ministry, which was meant to be a routine public document about the country’s intelligence services. All very above board, until someone noticed that a certain PDF contained something… extra. Specifically, an embedded footnote linking to a confidential annex that should have been nowhere near the public domain and very much behind seventeen locked doors and at least two grumpy security officers named Bruno.
This annex reportedly detailed the workings of Switzerland’s clandestine activities, including foreign intelligence operations and collaboration with international partners. In other words, someone hit “upload” before applying the typical Swiss discretion that usually applies to things like cheese recipes and secret bank accounts.
The document was apparently available online for several hours before the error was caught. One can only imagine the scramble of red-faced officials trying to pull it back, presumably while muttering things in four official languages. The Swiss government has since launched an investigation into how such a mistake occurred, which is diplomatic speak for “someone is getting an awkward meeting with HR.”
Switzerland, a country renowned for neutrality, discretion and never being the headline, now finds itself precisely that due to a rogue hyperlink and a lack of proofreading strong enough to ward off classified calamities.
In the world of espionage, discretion is everything, unless of course you forget to double-check the footnotes.