The Foreign Office Hack

The UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) was the target of a “serious cyber security incident”, it has emerged. The BBC understands unidentified hackers got inside the FCDO systems but were detected. This is just the latest in a spate of Phishing Attacks on government departments in what seems to be an attempt to gain access to sensitive information. It comes as no surprise that cyber security is now a top priority for government organisations, but they are finding that they are increasingly coming under fire from malicious actors online.

Prefer a video over a good read? Watch one of our Senior Consultants break down the Foreign Office attack and give some fast and effective advice for you to protect yourself from these hacks. Jump down to the vid.

How The Hackers Got Inside The FCDO Systems

The hackers are reported to have got inside the FCDO systems in the Foreign Office through a “spear phishing” attack. This is where an attacker sends an email that looks like it is from a trusted source, in order to trick the recipient into opening an attachment or clicking on a link that will give the hacker access to their system. Once the hacker is inside the system, they can steal sensitive information or plant malware that can be used to take control of the system.

What Happened After The Foreign Office Hack

The FCDO discovered the attack and immediately shut down their systems to prevent any further damage to the Foreign Office. A spokesperson for the department said: “We are confident we have mitigated this threat”. It has revealed that cyber security from BAE Systems Applied Intelligence was called on for “urgent support”.

A spokesperson for the FCDO told the BBC” “we don’t comment on security but have systems in place to detect and defend against potential cyber-attacks”.

FCDO Declines To Comment Further

“The authority was the target of a serious cyber security incident, details of which cannot be discussed. In response to this incident, an urgent response was required to support remediation and investigation. The awarded supplier is the authority’s long term incumbent service management integrator and as such had resources on-site with significant knowledge and understanding of the authorities infrastructure”, noted the tender document”.

What Can Be Done To Prevent This Happening Again?

The FCDO has not commented further on the nature of the Foreign Office hack, or what measures have been put in place to prevent a similar incident from happening again. However, it is clear that they will need to step up their cyber security defences if they are to avoid being targeted by hackers.

The Foreign Office Hack – News Bite