The European Commission said attackers broke into its public web infrastructure on March 24 and may have taken data from cloud systems hosting its Europa websites, while the sites stayed online and internal systems were not affected, according to a Commission disclosure.
KEY FACTS
- Target Cloud systems hosting the Europa websites
- Date spotted March 24
- Impact Sites remained online during the incident
- Known exposure Data may have been exfiltrated, but the amount is not known
- Open questions No details on initial access, duration, or attribution
The Commission said it contained the incident quickly and is notifying any Union entities that might have been affected. It said early findings suggest data were taken from the websites, but it did not say what kind of data was involved.
The disclosure did not give a figure for the amount of data, identify affected users, or describe how the attackers got in. It also did not say how long the intruders had access.
Reports from other outlets claim the breach may have involved the Commission’s AWS cloud environment and more than 350 GB of data, but the Commission did not confirm that detail.
The incident follows a separate security issue last month in which Commission-issued mobile phones were compromised and may have exposed staff names and mobile numbers.
WHY IT MATTERS
The case highlights the risk to public-facing government systems even when core internal networks are not hit. The lack of detail also leaves open questions about the scope of the exposure and the identity of the attackers.