Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht may hold highly classified information, report says
The late British tech mogul Mike Lynch’s yacht is believed to contain sensitive information that could draw interest from foreign governments like Russia and China, sources told CNN.
Italian divers surveying the shipwreck have called for more security to protect the site, and prosecutors investigating the fatal accident are concerned the vessel has data tied to Western intelligence services, according to the report.
In particular, divers who have searched the Bayesian yacht with remotely operated cameras think two watertight safes onboard contain super-encrypted hard drives that hold highly classified information like passcodes and other sensitive data, CNN said.
Lynch had ties to British, U.S. and other spy agencies through his companies, including cybersecurity firm Darktrace, the report said, adding that his wife was also an adviser to former British prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May on science, technology and cybersecurity.
“A formal request has been accepted and implemented for additional security of the wreckage until it can be raised,” the Sicilian Civil Protection Agency told CNN.
Darktrace and authorities for Termini Imerese, whose prosecutors are leading the probe, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Bayesian sank last month off the coast of Italy amid a violent storm. Eight people died, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter.
Authorities are looking into possible reasons why the yacht quickly sank, when other boats nearby seemed to weather the same storm without issue. Prosecutors in Italy have launched a probe into the shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide, which are equivalent to manslaughter charges.
Meanwhile, the sale of Darktrace to a software-focused private equity firm is moving forward. In April, Thoma Bravo agreed to buy Darktrace for $5.3 billion, and shareholders voted to approve the deal in June. The acquisition is expected to be completed by year’s end.
Earlier this month, Darktrace cofounder and CEO Poppy Gustafsson stepped down and was replaced by COO Jill Popelka.
Gustafsson started Darktrace in 2013 alongside a team of mathematicians, entrepreneurs, and intelligence experts. She previously worked as a corporate controller at Lynch’s Autonomy before its controversial $11.7 billion sale to Hewlett-Packard.
Lynch was an early backer of Darktrace through his venture capital fund Invoke Capital and held around 3% of the company when he died.
Also this month, Hewlett-Packard said it will continue to pursue Lynch for $4 billion through his family. HP accused Lynch of fraud after its $11.7 billion Autonomy purchase in 2011. Lynch was acquitted in a U.S. criminal fraud trial in June, but HP hasn’t dropped a civil case in the U.K.
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