Belgacom hacking linked to GCHQ
Not the US National Security Agency but the British intelligence service’s GCHQ was behind the hacking of Belgacom’s computers, according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, published last week in the German magazine Der Spiegel
German magazine publishes report on "Operation Socialist"
According to the documents, the operation was code-named Socialist and aimed to “gain access to Belgacom routers” from which GCHQ (pictured) would undertake “operations against targets roaming using smartphones”. GCHQ is believed to have lured Belgacom workers onto websites that infected their computers with malware that provided access for GCHQ.
Another purpose of the cyber-attack seems likely to have been access to BICS, a Belgacom subsidiary that operates phone and internet traffic for customers in Africa and the Middle East. The British government has so far declined to respond to the allegations.
Meanwhile, Belgacom chair Michel Moll resigned in the last days of his term of office after it was revealed that he has been a strategic consultant since 2010 for the Chinese technology company Huawei. The company has a reputation for involvement in espionage. Moll denied any involvement in espionage or conflict of interest. He was replaced this week by former federal justice minister Stefaan De Clerck, and his seat on the company’s board will be reassigned.
It was further reported that the foreign affairs ministry, the prime minister’s office and even the news agency Belga have been the victims of hacking: Belga from China, the others from an unknown source. The attacks all used the malware technique. This week prime minister Elio Di Rupo said that the government would be allocating additional budget resources in 2014 to improving cyber-security.
