MOSCOW, November 1 (RIA Novosti) – Finland's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that its computer networks have been hit by large-scale hacking from abroad, with a local TV station claiming China and Russia were among the suspects.
A report by private broadcaster MTV3, citing unidentified sources, said the hackers had access to the ministry’s communications for years and could have targeted messages between Finnish and European Union officials. It said intelligence agents from China and Russia may have been involved.
Addressing the report, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja told journalists Thursday that Finnish counterintelligence officials had detected a breach in the Foreign Ministry's data network by the hackers in spring, and a case of “serious” espionage was being investigated.
He declined to comment on whom had been responsible, saying it was difficult to reveal whether the perpetrators were part of government or non-government structures, according to Yle.fi.
Tuomioja said there has been no leak of classified information, which was kept on a separate system. Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen also confirmed to Yle that the hackers had not gained access to classified information.
Neither Moscow or Beijing have commented on the accusations.
Russian hackers were widely alleged to have been behind cyber attacks against the governments of neighboring Estonia and Georgia in 2007 and 2008, though the Russian government has denied any involvement in those attacks.
Russian counterintelligence officials have in turn previously accused Beijing of spying through imported Chinese household appliances, including electric kettles, which allegedly had microchips capable of collecting computer and phone data, Rosbalt reported.
The report comes amid recent media reports alleging that the US National Security Agency spied on many of Washington’s allies in Europe, such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The revelations, based on data earlier provided by fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, suggested that US special services covertly monitored millions of telephone calls, including those by the heads of at least 35 states.
Top US intelligence officials defended sweeping American surveillance programs as “lawful” and said senior US officials have been targets of espionage by the nation’s allies, including European Union members.
