14 DAY TRIAL // The UK Parliament was the target of what’s being described as a “sustained and determined” cyber-attack launched during the weekend, with local officials confirming that external access to email has been blocked as a security measure.
The Parliament has already contacted all members to warn of the security risks following the cyber-attack, and explained that an investigation is under way.
“Earlier this morning we discovered unusual activity and evidence of an attempted cyberattack on our computer network,” the mail warning reads according to The Guardian.
“Closer investigation by our team confirmed that hackers were carrying out a sustained and determined attack on all parliamentary user accounts. We have been working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to identify the method of the attack and have made changes to prevent the attackers gaining access.”
Passwords up for sale online
News of the cyber-attack comes only a few days after reports from British media revealed that accounts, including passwords, of British police officers and parliamentary staff were available for purchase online after being stolen by Russian hackers.
The accounts have reportedly been compromised as part of the 2012 LinkedIn data breach and involving millions of users. The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) is now advising thousands of government officials to change their passwords as soon as possible to make sure their data is not accessed.
At least 1,000 British MPs and parliamentary members are said to be affected, alongside more than 1,000 Foreign Office staff.
Even though all users were recommended to change their passwords shortly after authorities learned about the LinkedIn data breach in 2012, another warning was issued last year, when Russian hackers again attempted to sell credentials allegedly belonging to British officials.
Up to this point, there are no reports of compromised data following the recent cyber-attack, and there are no details as to when remote access to the network would be restored.