UK Parliament hit by cyber attack, MPs email access restricted
The attack comes in the wake of the ransomware attack that crippled over 200,000 computers across 150 countries.
New York: A spokesperson for the Houses of Parliament has confirmed that the UK Parliament’s computer system has been hit by a cyber attack. This comes in the wake of the ransomware attack that crippled over 200,000 computers across 150 countries, among which the UK’s National Health Service was a victim and was forced to cancel surgeries and divert ambulances.
“We have discovered unauthorised attempts to access accounts of parliamentary networks users and are investigating this ongoing incident, working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre,” the spokesperson said Saturday, reports CNN.
“Parliament has robust measures in place to protect all of our accounts and systems, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect and secure our network.”
Meanwhile, as a precaution, the Parliament has temporarily restricted remote access, which has led to some members of Parliament having trouble accessing their emails remotely.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) “is aware of incident and working around the clock with the UK Parliamentary digital security team to understand what has happened and advise on the necessary mitigating actions,” a spokesman said.
Parliament has shut down remote access to email, describing it as a “deliberate decision as part of their mitigation measures,” the NCSC spokesman said.