90 hacked in Parliament cyber attack
Blackmail fears after emails targeted
UP to 90 MPs’ email accounts may have been compromised in what is thought to be the worst-ever cyber attack on Parliament.
There are now fears of blackmail threats after what one source said may be a state-sponsored attack.
Russia or North Korea are deemed the most likely culprits for Saturday’s raid, although other experts said it could be a hacker working alone.
Authorities said the compromised accounts are those with weak passwords that fall below standards set by the Parliamentary Digital Service.
Parliamentary email addresses are used by MPs and peers, as well as aides and staff members. Constituents often contact their local MPs via these accounts to raise any issues they have.
Andrew Bridgen, Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, said: “An attack like this could leave an MP or one of their constituents open to blackmail. Constituents want to know the information they send is completely secure.” PM Theresa May and other ministers usually carry out confidential work from separate departmental accounts, which use a different email server and are not thought to have been attacked. Parliament’s digital security team has shut down external access to MPs’ and peers’ email accounts. The National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime Agency are now investigating the hack. A parliamentary spokesman said: “Our first priority has been to protect the parliamentary network and systems from the cyber attack, to ensure that the business of the Houses can continue. “This has been achieved. “Fewer than 1% of the 9,000 accounts on the network have been compromised as a result of weak passwords. Investigations to determine whether any data has been lost are under way.”