"We're often hit by cyber attacks but this is a big one," a BBC source stated. The commission assessed the scale of the threat at the time and shut down accross to e-mail and to the institutions' intranet to prevent the disclosed of unauthorized information. Staff were also asked to change their passwords and other information as a precaution.
"The Commission and External Advisory Service are subject to a serious cyber attack," Antony Gravili, the spokesman for the inter-institutional relations and administration commissioner, told BBC News. "We are already taking urgent measures to tackle this. An inquiry's been launched. This isn't unusual as the commission is frequently targeted."
France's Finance Ministry was targeted in December. Attackers attempted to steal information about the G20 summit which was held in Paris in February.
French Budget Minister Francois Baroin confirmed the attack at the time and said an investigation had been launched into the source.
Written by: James Delahunty @ 24 Mar 2011 14:36
