European Commission Hit by Cyber-attack

Recently, several websites related to various agencies of the European Union (EU) suffered a major cyber-attack.

Albuquerque, NM (prHWY.com) March 24, 2011 - Albuquerque, NM, United States - Recently, several websites related to various agencies of the European Union (EU) suffered a major cyber-attack. The attack occurred on the eve of an important summit of EU leaders organized for discussing euro debt crisis, the ongoing Libyan crisis and nuclear safety. The attack reportedly affected the web pages of the European Commission and the European External Action Service. Information security professionals of EU are currently investigating the cyber-attack. The Commission has debarred external access to e-mail and intranet to prevent unauthorized access to privileged information. Employees have been advised to change their passwords. The attack seems to be similar to the one directed at French Finance Ministry for extracting information on Group 20 (G20) Summit. Over 150 computers were affected in the attack on French Finance Ministry. Britain and Canada also suffered cyber-attacks on key government bodies in the recent past. The European External Action Service manages the global diplomatic relations for the 27 member states. While EU faces frequent intrusion attempts, the latest attack was larger in scale in comparison to previous attacks.

Cyberspace has become a platform for information warfare. Access to confidential information stored in computers of national and international agencies enable attackers to gain insights on the strategies adopted by various countries on important bilateral and global issues. Cyber-attacks could be launched by terrorist organizations, attackers loyal to hostile countries, protesters and rival intelligence agencies. Leakage of confidential information could lead to diplomatic fall-out between countries and compromise national security.

Consistent and frequent threats have forced countries to review their cyber security strategies. United States (U.S) has already established a Cyber Command and other countries such as Germany are following suit. Cyber security has also become a challenge for business organizations. In the recent months, IT security firms and stock exchanges have also been the target of cyber-attacks. Recently, RSA revealed advanced persistent attack on the company's computer systems for gaining unauthorized access. Employee awareness is crucial to deal with the multifarious cyber threats. Cyber security awareness among employees could be created through training sessions, online degree and e-learning programs.

The prevailing IT security scenario requires organizations to conduct periodic security evaluation of the IT infrastructure through professionals qualified in masters of security science, penetration testing and other security certifications.

Online university degree and distance learning programs could facilitate working IT professionals to keep themselves updated of the latest threats, technological developments, regulatory framework, data protection mechanism and improve their technical expertise.

Contact Press

EC-Council
Website: http://www.eccouncil.org
Email: iclass@eccouncil.org
Tel: 505-341-3228

EC-Council University is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and offers Master of Security Science (MSS) degree to students from various backgrounds such as graduates, IT Professionals, and military students amongst several others. The MSS is offered as a 100% online degree program and allows EC-Council University to reach students from not only the United States, but from all around the world.

EC-Council is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in cybersecurity and e-commerce skills. It is the owner and developer of 16 security certifications, including Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)/License Penetration Tester (LPT). Its certificate programs are offered in over 60 countries around the world.

EC-Council has trained over 80,000 individuals and certified more than 30,000 members, through more than 450 training partners globally. These certifications are recognized worldwide and have received endorsements from various government agencies including the U.S. federal government via the Montgomery GI Bill, Department of Defense via DoD 8570.01-M, National Security Agency (NSA) and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS). EC-Council also operates the global series of Hacker Halted security conferences.

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Tag Words: cyber attacks, european commission, european union, eeas, cyber security, security, data protection, internet, cyber space

Categories: Security

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