European Commission Investigating Breach After Amazon Cloud Account Hack
Hackers broke into the European Commission's cloud storage, stealing a lot of sensitive information, including personal details of employees. They say they won't ask for money but plan to share this information online, which could still cause big problems for the Commission.
The European Commission has confirmed a data breach involving its Amazon cloud infrastructure, with hackers claiming to have stolen over 350 GB of sensitive data, including employee PII and internal documents.
What Happened
The European Commission has confirmed a serious security breach involving its Amazon cloud infrastructure, which hosts the Europa.eu platform. The breach was discovered on March 24, and the Commission took immediate action to investigate and contain the incident.
Who's Affected
According to a statement released on March 27, early findings suggest that sensitive data has indeed been taken from the cloud services used by the Commission. The Commission is notifying relevant EU entities that may be affected by this incident.
What Data Was Exposed
Sources indicate that the hackers, identified as the ShinyHunters group, claim to have compromised over 350 GB of data, including confidential documents, contracts, and personally identifiable information (PII) of employees. Screenshots allegedly shared by the group show access to mail servers, databases, and even internal administrative URLs.
Current Status
The Commission's internal systems reportedly remain unaffected, and they are continuing to monitor the situation while enhancing their cybersecurity capabilities. This breach follows a previous incident disclosed in February, where the Commission's mobile device management platform was hacked, raising concerns about the security of EU institutions.
Future Measures
The Commission's recent cybersecurity proposals aim to bolster defenses against state-backed actors and cybercriminals targeting Europe’s critical infrastructure.