Leaked report shows United Nations suffered hack

Source: AP

JAMEY KEATEN and FRANK BAJAK

GENEVA (AP) — Sophisticated hackers infiltrated U.N. offices in Geneva and Vienna last year in an apparent espionage operation, and their identity and the extent of the data they obtained is not clear.

An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by the Associated Press, says dozens of servers were compromised including at the U.N. human rights office, which collects sensitive data and has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for exposing rights abuses.

Asked about the report, one U.N. official told the AP that t he hack appeared “sophisticated” and that the extent of the damage remained unclear, especially in terms of personal, secret or compromising information that may have been stolen. The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the episode, said systems have since been reinforced.

The skill level was so high it was possible a state-backed actor might have been behind it, the official said.



FILE - In this June 18, 2014, file photo flags fly outside the United Nations building in Vienna, Austria. An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by The Associated Press, says that dozens of servers were “compromised” at offices in Geneva and Vienna. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)


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