Norway says March cyber attack on parliament carried out from China
gnidovsky
FILE PHOTO: Norway's Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide talks to the media outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due the Norwegian government believing that Russia is behind a cyber attack on the Norwegian Parliament, in Oslo, Norway October 13, 2020. Orn E. Borgen/NTB/via REUTERS
OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said on Monday that a March 10 cyber attack on the Nordic country’s parliament e-mail system was carried out from China, calling on authorities there to take steps to prevent such activity in future.
“This is a serious incident which has hit our most important democratic institution,” Soereide said in a statement.
An investigation by the country’s intelligence services had revealed the attack came from China and several of Norway’s allies, the European Union and Microsoft, had also confirmed this conclusion, she added.
The attack had utilised a security hole in Microsoft’s Exchange software.
“Chinese authorities must prevent that such attacks take place,” Soereide said, adding she expected China would take the issue extremely seriously.
The Chinese ambassador to Norway on Monday had been summoned to discuss the issue directly, Soereide said.
