Suspected Hacking into Foreign Service's Remote Access Service

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland has confirmed a suspected hacking incident into their remote access service, prompting an immediate investigation and blockage of the service. The unusual activity was first detected by the Foreign Service, which immediately launched an internal investigation to determine the extent of the breach.

Following the initial findings, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCS) has joined forces with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office, and the remote access service provider to conduct a thorough investigation. While the details of the suspected hacking are still unclear, it is believed that there may have been unauthorized access to the system.

It is worth noting that vulnerabilities had previously been identified in the Foreign Service's remote access service. In response, the Foreign Service has taken steps to enhance its information security monitoring and has initiated a process to switch to a replacement service. However, this new service has not yet been fully implemented for all employees.

The responsibility for providing the Foreign Service with a remote access service lies with the Prime Minister's Office. Remote access allows users to process data at most at the Restricted level, which is the lowest security classification level. While this may seem like a secure option, the recent suspected hacking incident highlights the importance of maintaining robust cybersecurity measures.

The investigation into the suspected hacking is ongoing, and no conclusions can yet be drawn about the identity of the attacker or the extent of the breach. Notably, there has been no unusual activity detected in the Foreign Ministry's other systems, suggesting that the breach may have been isolated to the remote access service alone.

The blockage of the remote access service will not significantly impact the Foreign Ministry's ability to perform its tasks, but it will undoubtedly make working more difficult for those who do not yet have a replacement solution available. In an effort to mitigate this, some staff members have been provided with an alternative remote access service. Work is currently underway to make this new service available to all employees.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has made a formal request to the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and notified the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to address the breach. As the investigation continues, the public will be kept informed of any developments in this matter.