Hungarian government email passwords exposed ahead of election

When voters in the forthcoming Hungarian election assess the current government, its record on internet security will not be one of its proudest achievements.

An analysis by open source investigation organization Bellingcat has revealed that the passwords for almost 800 Hungarian government email accounts are circulating online, many of them associated with national security. These breaches in security are not down to high-tech attacks but rather are the result of poor email hygiene among government employees. The security leaks were widespread: 12 out of 13 government departments were affected.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration likes to present itself as firm protector of Hungarian borders, resisting foreign interference, but this doesn’t seem to apply to its computing prowess. Among those whose details were revealed were an officer responsible for information security and a counter-terrorism expert.

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AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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