MPs’emails on lockdown as hackers target Parliament

NORTH POLITICIAN TAKES TO TWITTER AFTER ATTACK

Reporter POLITICIANS’ emails were last night on lockdown after a “sustained” cyber attack on Parliament in a bid to break into the email accounts of MPs, peers and their staff.

Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central, revealed on Twitter that there is an issue with their official emails as security chiefs confirmed “unauthorised attempts” to access accounts in Westminster. She said: “Currently problems with parliamentary email until at least Monday.”

Users of f theh Westminster system have been unable to access their accounts remotely due to defensive measures put in place by parliamentary authorities to deal with the hack.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and National Crime Agency are probing the incident, which comes after reports that passwords for Cabinet ministers and MPs were being sold online by hackers.

An email sent by parliamentary authorities to those impacted by the attack, which is believed to have begun on Friday, said that after “unusual activity” ” was spotted:d “Closer investigation by our team confirmed that hackers were carrying out a sustained and determined attack on all parliamentary user accounts in an attempt to identify weak passwords.”

A parliamentary spokesman said: “We have discovered unauthorised attempts to access accounts of parliamentary networks users and are investigating this ongoing incident, working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre.

“Parliament has robust measures in place to protect all of our accounts and systems, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect and secure our network.

“As a precaution we have temporarily restricted remote access to the network. As a result, some Members of Parliament and staff cannot access their email accounts outside of Westminster.

“IT services on the parliamentary estate are working normally. We will continue to keep members of both Houses of Parliament and the public updated as the situation develops.”

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the incident was no surprise after the recent major hacking attack against the NHS.

Dr Fox told the BBC: “We know that there are regular attacks by hackers attempting to get passwords.” Hackers have carried out a “sustained” cyber attack