European Commission probes breach of staff mobile devices

"Identified by CERT-EU, the bloc's computer emergency response team responsible for defending EU institutions, the intrusion was detected on January 30 and affected infrastructure associated with centrally managed mobile devices issued to Commission staff. The Commission said it launched an internal incident response and forensic investigation after being alerted to suspicious activity, and warned that the break-in "may have resulted in access to staff names and mobile numbers of some of its staff members.""

"According to the Commission, the compromised environment relates to mobile device management infrastructure, the administrative plumbing that helps IT teams keep tabs on official smartphones and other staff-issued devices. These tools usually sit deep within corporate networks and carry significant administrative privileges, allowing IT teams to enforce policies, install software, and remotely lock or wipe phones. This also makes them prime targets for attackers seeking to move deeper into a network."

CERT-EU detected an intrusion on January 30 that affected infrastructure tied to centrally managed mobile devices issued to European Commission staff. The compromised environment involved mobile device management systems that grant administrative privileges to enforce policies, install software, and remotely lock or wipe phones. The Commission launched an internal incident response and a forensic investigation and warned the break-in may have exposed staff names and mobile numbers for some employees. Cybersecurity response procedures were activated immediately, the incident was contained and the system cleaned within nine hours, and no mobile device compromises were detected. The incident coincides with ongoing EU cybersecurity reforms such as NIS2 and the Cyber Resilience Act, and the Commission has not provided details on the number of affected employees or the attack vector.

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