Russian hackers breach government emails, sell credentials

A major cyberattack linked to Russian-speaking hackers has compromised the email accounts of UK government officials and critical national infrastructure, with stolen login credentials being sold on dark web forums. The ongoing campaign, known as FortiBleed, exploited a vulnerability in Fortinet firewalls and VPN gateways, compromising over 80,000 devices globally and exposing credentials belonging to overseas Foreign Office staff and local government officials across the UK.

The breach provided unauthorized access to sensitive systems, with compromised accounts including IT staff at British embassies in Thailand and Mauritius, as well as employees in Derbyshire and Waltham Forest, east London. Login details for institutions providing critical services, including the National Health Service, energy providers, and key medicine suppliers, are also among the credentials being traded. Cybersecurity experts warn the breach could be a precursor to catastrophic ransomware attacks that threaten patient safety by disrupting healthcare suppliers highly dependent on the compromised systems.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued an urgent alert confirming a brute-force attack...