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Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht may hold highly classified information

British tech mogul Mike Lynch’s yacht is believed to contain sensitive information that could attract the interest of foreign governments such as Russia and China, sources told CNN.

Italian divers who examined the wreckage have called for more security to protect the site, and prosecutors investigating the fatal accident are concerned that the ship has data linked to Western intelligence services, according to the report.

In particular, the divers who searched Bayesian The yacht’s remotely operated cameras believe two watertight safes on board contain super-encrypted hard drives that hold highly classified information such as access codes and other sensitive data, CNN said.

Lynch had links to British, US and other spy agencies through his companies, including cyber security 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 cyber security.

“An official 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 investigation, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Bayesian sank last month off the coast of Italy in the midst of a violent storm. Eight people died, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter.

Authorities are looking into possible reasons why the yacht sank so quickly when other boats nearby appeared to be weathering the same storm without issue. Prosecutors in Italy have launched an investigation into the shipwreck and multiple charges of manslaughter, which are equivalent to charges of manslaughter.

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 the end of the year.

Earlier this month, Darktrace co-founder and CEO Poppy Gustafsson stepped down and was replaced by COO Jill Popelka.

Gustafsson started Darktrace in 2013 with a team of mathematicians, entrepreneurs and intelligence experts. She previously served as corporate controller at Lynch’s Autonomy, before the controversial $11.7 billion sale to Hewlett-Packard.

Lynch was an early backer of Darktrace through his venture capital fund Invoke Capital and owned about 3% of the company when he died.

Also this month, Hewlett-Packard said it would continue to pursue Lynch for $4 billion through his family. HP accused Lynch of fraud after its $11.7 billion acquisition of Autonomy in 2011. Lynch was acquitted in a US criminal fraud trial in June, but HP has not dropped a civil case in the UK.

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