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By Web Desk :
Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) has reportedly exposed sensitive personal data belonging to hundreds of prominent attendees after a database containing passport scans was left publicly accessible.
The high-profile event, organized by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) under the patronage of senior UAE leadership, gathers influential figures from finance, investment, technology, and policymaking sectors worldwide.
According to a report by Financial Times, a non-password-protected database linked to the event contained scans of more than 700 passports and state identity documents. The exposure was identified by freelance cybersecurity researcher Roni Suchowski.
Among those whose documents were reportedly included in the database were US investor and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, former UK prime minister David Cameron, and hedge fund billionaire Alan Howard.
Other notable names cited include Richard Teng, co-chief executive of crypto exchange Binance and former head of ADGM, as well as Lucie Berger, the European Union’s ambassador to the UAE.
While more than 35,000 participants reportedly attended the event, only a fraction appear to have been affected. None of the individuals named in reports have publicly commented on the incident so far.
In a statement to Reuters, ADFW said it had addressed “a vulnerability in a third-party vendor-managed storage environment” involving a limited group of attendees for the 2025 event. Organizers stated that the database was secured immediately after the issue was identified and that preliminary findings suggest only the researcher accessed the exposed files.
The incident highlights the ongoing risks associated with improperly configured online storage systems, which remain a leading cause of data exposure worldwide.
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