Hackers broke into the computer network of the Belgian government service

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The Belgian Federal Public Service Home Affairs has fallen victim to hackers. The attackers were present in the network for two years, the government agency writes on its website . The Interior suspects that it is espionage.

In March of this year, the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) found “subtle traces of suspicious acts” on the network of the public service. After analysis, it appeared that suspicious actions had already taken place in the computer systems in April 2019.

According to the government service, this is a very complex and sophisticated cyber attack. “The complexity of the attack indicates an actor who has extensive cyber capabilities and resources. The perpetrators acted deliberately, which suggests espionage.”

Hackers broke into the computer network of the Belgian government service

On Wednesday, the CCB informs the Belgian broadcaster VRT that the attackers had access “to any local data”. Home Affairs includes databases of the police services, immigration affairs and the issue of identity cards.

How the invaders got in and where the attacks came from is not clear at the moment. The investigation is still ongoing. According to the CCB, no sensitive data has been stolen. “There was no classified information on the network,” says the CCB. “These are internal documents of the Interior that may have been available to the opposing party.”

The vulnerabilities have now been removed from the networks and the attackers have been denied access, reports the Belgian government service. The security of ICT systems is also being improved.

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