Swedish password hacking scandal grows

• Tweet

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A password hacking scandal in Sweden has expanded to include 180,000 users on nearly 60 Web sites, officials said.

Information about more than 90,000 account passwords linked with the Swedish blog site Bloggtoppen.se was published Tuesday on the Twitter account of former Sweden Democrat Party lawmaker William Petzall, the Swedish news agency TT reported Wednesday.

Petzall, through his attorney, said his Twitter account had been hijacked and he wasn't behind the publication of the passwords. Pitzall left the party in September to become an independent member of parliament. TT reported Pitzall was battling substance abuse.

Jimmy Holmlund, who operates Bloggtoppen.se, confirmed the site was hacked and has shut down.

"Someone apparently discovered a weakness in the code that lies behind the service," he told the news agency.

Login information was published for 79 users with Moderate Party e-mail addresses, including several lawmakers and party secretary Sofia Arkelsten, Aftonbladet said. Information of 50 users with e-mail addresses from the Liberal Party was published as well.

Aftonbladet reported Wednesday 57 other Web sites were hacked, putting login details of up to 180,000 Swedes at risk. In some cases, personal identity numbers were published.