If you read this, you know why you are (or should be) investing in security and firewalls at your company.
Hackers have been accessing Romanian National Registry for Greenhouse Gases and have stolen Holcim’s carbon certificates worth 15 million Euro ($20 million US Dollar). Holcim is one of the biggest cement companies with yearly revenues of approx. 24 billion Euro.

Here is the official statement from Holcim:

On November 16, 2010, Holcim Romania’s CO2 accounts held within the Romanian National Registry for Greenhouse Gases were illegally accessed. Unknown persons have stolen 1.6 million CO2 certificates of which 600,000 could be recuperated and returned to Holcim to date. The outstanding allowances correspond to a financial value of approximately EUR 15 million.

One million CO2 allowances were transferred to an account in Liechtenstein. Another 600,000 CO2 allowances were transferred to a company in Italy, which has account registries in Italy and the UK. Parts seem to have been further transferred to accounts in the Czech Republic, Great Britain and France.

Holcim Romania immediately informed the Romanian Registry requesting blockage and recuperation of its CO2 allowances and to secure data. Formal criminal investigations have been requested from the relevant Romanian law enforcement authorities. An international investigation has been initiated.

As CO2 allowances are electronically registered and cannot leave the Registry systems, Holcim has asked the European Commission’s support in requesting the National CO2 Registries to trace and prevent the further trading and dissemination of the stolen allowances.