Are you worried when you hear about a governmental system being hacked? I know I was when I got the news that the
French Interior Ministry's email system was hacked by the attackers.
What happened?
On the
11-12 December hackers broke into the
French Interior Ministry's email system. This is confirmed by the
Minister of the Interior and is official news. During the hacking incident, some of the emails stored on those servers were accessed by the hackers.
There is currently no indication that any confidential or sensitive information has been stolen by the hackers. However, the security officials at the
French Interior Ministry are examining all the emails closely, just like if your email was hacked.
What is the significance of this event?
The
French Interior Ministry deals with
police,
immigration, and
security services in France, so therefore it is very important. This incident raises a lot of questions regarding the hacking of governmental email accounts, especially big governmental accounts such as the French Interior Ministry's. If big governmental accounts can be hacked, what about the smaller organizations or even the normal person?
In my experience with many cyber incidents, I'm seeing this as yet another tipping point.
What steps did France take after this incident occurred?
The French government has acted quickly to address this breach:
- They took steps to eliminate any access that was made to their systems.
- They have now increased their security protocols.
- Now, full investigations are under way to try and determine the person or persons responsible for the attack and why it occurred.
As of yet, it has not been determined whether this attack was from another country, cybercriminals or activist groups.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, this illustrates that
Cyberattacks are not going to slow down anytime soon. There is a need for stronger
Email Security from Businesses, Government and Average Users.
When was the last time you changed your Password? Now may be a good time to take a look at your
Password Security.