EU Commission Confirms Major Cyberattack, Data Breach

BRUSSELS (Azat TV) – The European Commission has confirmed a significant cyberattack that compromised its cloud infrastructure, with hackers claiming to have stolen hundreds of gigabytes of sensitive data. The breach, announced Friday, marks a rare public admission of a security incident by the EU’s executive arm and raises serious questions about the security of government cloud systems amidst an increasingly hostile cyber landscape.

Hackers Claim Massive Data Theft

Hackers involved in the incident posted proof of their access on dark web forums, asserting that they extracted “reams of data” before the breach was detected. Sources suggest that hundreds of gigabytes of data, including multiple databases, were stolen from the European Commission’s Amazon Web Services cloud account. While the full scope and nature of the stolen information remain unclear, the potential exposure could include internal communications, policy drafts, administrative records, and sensitive government information related to trade negotiations and regulatory investigations. European Commission spokesperson Nika Blazevic confirmed the attack, stating that the Commission “discovered a cyber-attack, which affected part of our cloud infrastructure.”

EU’s Cybersecurity Stance Under Scrutiny

The timing of the breach is particularly acute, given the EU’s prominent role in advocating for robust digital security and privacy. The bloc has championed landmark legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the NIS2 directive, compelling companies to enhance their cybersecurity defenses. The incident now places the Commission in the awkward position of having to explain how its own systems were compromised, potentially undermining its credibility as a global leader in cybersecurity. Public administrations, including EU institutions, are frequently targeted organizations, according to the EU’s cybersecurity agency ENISA.

Immediate Response and Ongoing Investigation

The Commission stated that immediate steps were taken to contain the attack and implement risk mitigation measures. Officials emphasized that the availability of the Europa websites was not disrupted and that its internal systems were not affected by the attack. The institution is actively notifying EU bodies that could potentially have been impacted and is working with CERT-EU, the cybersecurity body within the Commission’s IT department, to investigate the full extent of the breach. The incident is being analyzed to identify lessons learned and strengthen future cybersecurity capabilities and the EU’s overall resilience to such attacks.

The confirmation of this cyberattack on the European Commission’s cloud infrastructure highlights a growing vulnerability in government reliance on cloud services. Despite the EU’s push for stringent external cybersecurity regulations, this incident suggests that internal preparedness and the security of its own digital foundations require constant and rigorous attention, especially given the heightened geopolitical cyber threats.