A new malware that steals information has been detected on the systems of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cybercriminals are said to have used the malware to steal documents and information related to the crisis in Ukraine.
According to Belgian media, the investigation has started to determine the extent of the damages and to identify the attackers. While officials have not given many details about the attack, L’ Echo and De Tijd have learned that it is said the attack was carried out by Russian hackers.
The attack has been detected by the Military Intelligence Service, which assists in the investigation.
This is not the first time the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suffered a data breach. In September 2013, officials disclosed that information about the country's foreign policy had been stolen in a specialized government espionage operation.
At the time, the attackers used a malware that they had spread to the ministry's networks since early 2012. Authorities avoided naming suspects, but sources indicated that the United States and the National Security Agency were among the leading suspects.
A similar malicious software was used to steal information from the office of the Prime Minister of Belgium, Elio Di Rupo. The prime minister had been targeted at least twice, in August 2012 and October 2013. The attack carried out in October was of the distributed-denial-of-service ( DDoS).
After the attacks, the Belgian authorities have decided to invest €10.000.000 to strengthen the security of the country's institutions.
