MPs subjected to over 22 million malicious email attacks in 2020

guest · Nov 23, 2020

MPs subjected to over 22 million malicious email attacks in 2020
UK Members of Parliament (MPs) have been targeted by a 60% year-on-year increase in cyber-attacks so far in 2020
November 23, 2020
https://www.computerweekly.com/news...er-22-million-malicious-email-attacks-in-2020

The number of malicious spam or phishing emails targeting the inboxes of Westminster MPs has risen by 60% in the space of just a year to an average of 2,790,182 attacks every month, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) Act request from the Parliament Street think tank.

In its disclosure, the government revealed it had seen a total of 22,321,459 malicious email attacks targeting MPs from 1 January 2020 to 31 August 2020. All these emails were successfully blocked, it added.

“Members of Parliament have been under added pressure over the last year, as the coronavirus continues to disrupt services, society and cause havoc for the general public,” said Absolute Software vice-president Andy Harcup.
“As a result, cyber attackers have attempted to infiltrate some of the most confidential data imaginable – governmental data – by overloading MPs with malicious phishing, scam or malware attacks, in an attempt to use a time of national crisis to their advantage.
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“With millions of malicious emails being sent, the odds that one might work are high, especially if they are carefully crafted to evade detection. It just takes one busy and stressed employee to miss the cues or one very convincing message for cyber criminals to breach an organisation’s security and access highly sensitive information,” he said.
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