Unauthorized Access to Home Office Results in Data Breach Directed by China
A cyberattack on the IT infrastructure of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior (BMI) was discovered several weeks ago. This targeted and professional attack involved unauthorized accesses to mail servers of the BMI, affecting approximately 100 out of the approximately 60,000 email accounts. Sensitive content was not typically communicated by email, minimizing the immediate impact.
The cyberattack is suspected to have been carried out by state or semi-state actors, due to its high professionalism and the pattern of the attack being consistent with state-sponsored hacking. However, no specific country has been officially named or confirmed.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried addressed the public at a press conference, describing the cyberattack as "targeted and highly professional." They also assured that the fulfillment of the core police tasks was not impaired in any way.
In response to the attack, the IT security measures have been further targeted strengthened. Employees with affected accounts were directly informed, the affected systems were isolated, and external IT security experts were brought in. The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) was not affected by the attack, according to State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried.
Police information systems, databases, registers, or personal data of citizens were not affected by the cyberattack. However, as a result of the security measures taken, there is currently a restriction of external email traffic. This temporary restriction has led to the inability to send press releases by email on Saturday.
The cleaning and securing of the IT systems of the Ministry of the Interior (BMI) is ongoing. The attack on the BMI may result in temporary restrictions on electronic accessibility, particularly for external email traffic.
Gernot Darmann, security spokesman for the FPOE, criticized the incident, calling it a "shocking testimony to Karner's total failure in cybersecurity."
It is worth noting that in the beginning of 2020, the Foreign Ministry was also a target of a serious cyberattack. The cyberattack is being analyzed by experts, and a criminal complaint was filed with the public prosecutor's office for unauthorized access to a computer system, and corresponding investigations have been initiated.
The trail of the cyberattack could potentially lead to China, as suggested by various media reports and intelligence services. However, Minister Gerhard Karner does not want to speculate on the direction of the attack, but acknowledges the involvement of state and semi-state actors.
As the investigation continues, the BMI will keep the public updated on any developments regarding the cyberattack.
