Mike Lynch's sunken yacht had waterproof safes with classified intelligence data – CNN

“British Bill Gates” Lynch was associated with intelligence.

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Specialist divers probing the wreckage of the sunken $40 million superyacht carrying British tech tycoon Mike Lynch have asked for increased security on the vessel over fears that classified data locked in safes could pique the interest of foreign governments. It reports CNN with reference to sources.

The yacht sank in August off the coast of Sicily. In addition to Lynch, six other people died in the crash.

Italian prosecutors, who have opened a criminal case on multiple counts of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, believe the 56-meter yacht Bayesian, according to four sources. may contain top secret data related to a number of Western intelligence services.

Lynch has been linked to British, American and other intelligence services through his companies, including the cybersecurity firm he founded, Darktrace, which was sold in April to Chicago-based private equity firm Thoma Bravo. In addition, the businessman, who owned his wife's company Revtom Limited, was also an adviser to British Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May on science, technology and cyber security during their tenure.

The sunken vessel, which lies on the seabed at a depth of about 50 meters, has watertight safes with two super-encrypted hard drives that contain top-secret information, including passwords and other confidential data, an official involved in the rescue plans told CNN, but asked not to be identified. call his name. Specialist divers with remote cameras thoroughly searched the ship.

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Initially, local law enforcement officers feared that potential thieves might try to reach the wreckage in search of jewels and other valuables that are on board the yacht. However, they are now worried that the wreckage, which is planned to be raised in the coming weeks as part of a criminal investigation into the tragedy, will also interest foreign governments, including Russia and China. They asked for increased security of the yacht both above the water and with the help of underwater surveillance. 

The Sicilian Civil Protection Office, which is assisting in the criminal investigation, confirmed this information.

Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, British banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, as well as the yacht's cook Recaldo Thomas died when the vessel sank during a severe storm early in the morning.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Bloomer and Morvillo died of suffocation or “dry drowning” when the oxygen in the air bubble in the sleeping cabin ran out. Autopsies on Lynch and his daughter were less clear-cut.

The chef, whose body was found overboard, died of drowning. Toxicology reports on the dead have not yet been released, but none of them were physically harmed when the boat went down.

Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, and 14 others survived, including Captain James Cutfield, who along with along with the deckhand and chief of the yacht's engine room are under investigation for several counts of manslaughter and causing a shipwreck by negligence. All of them were allowed to leave Italy.

As a source in the prosecutor's office told CNN, some of the 15 survivors, including  six passengers, told prosecutors that Lynch did not trust cloud services and always kept disks with data in a protected compartment of the yacht. The cause of the shipwreck is considered to be a water tornado that arose unexpectedly, it was accompanied by heavy rain and gusty wind. According to eyewitnesses, the anchored yacht quickly disappeared under water, leaving only wreckage and life rafts on the surface.