Hackers Exploit Log4j Flaw at Belgian Defense Ministry
The Belgian Defense Ministry detected a cyberattack last week and isolated the parts of its network that were affected.
Photo:
Hatim Kaghat/Belga News Agency/Zuma Press
Belgium’s Defense Ministry said it shut down parts of its computer network because attackers triggered the vulnerability in the Log4j software that was disclosed earlier this month.
A spokesman told Belgian broadcaster VRT on Monday that the Defense Ministry detected the cyberattack last Thursday and isolated the parts of its network that were affected. “All weekend our teams have been mobilized to control the problem, continue our activities and warn our partners,” the spokesman said.
A Defense Ministry spokesman didn’t respond to a request for additional information.
The flaw in the widely used Log4j software was disclosed on Dec. 9, prompting a global race for companies to issue security patches to fix the problem. U.S. officials said hundreds of millions of devices are at risk. The Biden administration ordered federal agencies to identify internet-connected software that uses Log4j and immediately update those tools, bolster their security or take them offline.
A spokeswoman for Belgium’s Centre for Cyber Security said the agency is aware of the attack on the Defense Ministry but declined to comment. Last Thursday, Kevin Holvoet, a cyber threat intelligence analyst at the cybersecurity agency, said he had seen no…
