European Commission mobile infrastructure targeted in cyber-attack

Criminals have stolen names and mobile numbers of European Commission staff after a cyber attack on the Commission’s on central mobile infrastructure on January 30. 

Officials insist the breach was swiftly contained. The incident triggered an urgent security response after traces of malicious activity were found in the system that manages staff mobile devices.

Ironically, the attack came 10 days after the Commission unveiled a Cybersecurity Package to harden the bloc’s digital defences, based around a “trusted” ICT supply chain to reduce reliance on high-risk technology providers.

The EC admits hackers may have gained access to names and mobile numbers of Commission personnel. No mobile devices were compromised, but cybersecurity experts warn that contact information can be used for targeted phishing campaigns, social engineering attacks, or deeper infiltration attempts.

“The Commission takes seriously the security and resilience of its internal systems and data,” a spokesperson said, adding that the incident is now under thorough review and will “feed into ongoing efforts to strengthen defences”.

The EU says it has dedicated cybersecurity service operates around the clock to detect threats with continuous monitoring, automated alerts, and rapid-response protocols a

Cyber security epert Dray Agha, senior manager of security operations at Huntress, said, “This highlights the critical need to secure mobile management systems. As mobile devices become central to our work, ensuring the platforms that manage them are fortified is essential. This incident serves as a reminder for all organisations to continuously assess and strengthen their security layers”.

The European Commission clearly had effective proactive detection to catch their threat, and their subsequent transparency will be a strong example. The European Commission’s swift identification of this incident and clear communication about potentially accessed data, while confirming staff devices remain secure, demonstrates a responsible approach to modern cyber threats