Norwegian Parliament, The Storting, has been the target of a cyberattack. The attack by unknown hackers was linked to a “vulnerability” in Microsoft’s Exchange software, the parliament said, adding that this was an “international problem.”
Marianne Andreassen, Secretary General of the Storting, said: “We know that data has been extracted, but we do not have a full overview of the situation. We have implemented a series of comprehensive measures and are not ruling out further action.
“We are working closely with the relevant security authorities. The situation is currently unresolved, and we do not yet know the full potential of the damage.”
The Storting does not know who is responsible for the attack and the cyberattack has been reported to the police.
Lotem Finkelstein, Head of Cyberintelligence at Check Point, said: “The fact that hackers were able to breach Government systems shows just how far-reaching and serious these vulnerabilities are.”
“Check Point’s recent 2020 security report showed that 83% out of all attack vectors were email-based, and 87% of organisations have experienced an attempt to exploit an existing vulnerability. The time-window between the discovery of a vulnerability and it being patched gives hackers the opportunity to launch these attacks.
“To protect themselves, organisations using Microsoft Exchange should ensure they have applied the patches to their systems, or use virtual patching technologies such as Intrusion Protection Systems to minimise the risks of attack.”
