Chancellery of Belgian Prime Minister may have been hacked

The Belgian federal public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into a possible hacking of the servers of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the support service of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld, Flemish liberals). A great deal of sensitive information is stored at the Chancellery. 

The news was reported by Het Nieuwsblad and confirmed by the federal public prosecutor's office. A case has indeed been opened but the investigation only started recently, says Eric Van Duyse, spokesman for the federal public prosecutor's office.

The hacking or attempted hacking was discovered at the beginning of August. The hackers allegedly struck from abroad, according to Het Nieuwsblad. Several services use the Chancellery's servers, including the federal and local police. The hacking or attempted hacking is said to be causing problems for police services to this day.

"The computers of every policeman in this country had to be reset," police sources told the local newspaper. "Every policeman had to ask for a different password. Even today, not all policemen and detectives can use their computers as they should. Very annoying, because crime is spreading and many of us still cannot work properly on our computers. Even just opening mail is not always possible."

The technical investigation into the hacking or attempted hacking is in the hands of Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity.

(KOR)

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT