Belgium probes if Chinese hackers breached its intelligence service

​The Belgian federal prosecutor's office is investigating whether Chinese hackers were behind a breach of the country's State Security Service (VSSE). Chinese state-backed attackers reportedly gained access to VSSE's external email server between 2021 and May 2023, siphoning around 10% of all emails sent and received by the agency's staff. The compromised server was only used for exchanging emails with public prosecutors, government ministries, law enforcement, and other public Belgian administration bodies, as Belgian news outlet Le Soir reported on Wednesday. According to The Brussels Times, the hacked server also routed internal HR exchanges among Belgian intelligence personnel, raising concerns about the potential exposure of sensitive personal data including identity documents and CVs belonging to nearly half of the VSSE's current staff and past applicants. Belgian local media first reported an attack on the VSSE in 2023, coinciding with Barracuda's vulnerability disclosure. Following this, the Belgian intelligence service stopped using Barracuda as a cybersecurity provider and advised affected staff to renew identification documents to mitigate the risk of identity fraud. However, there is currently no evidence of stolen data appearing on the dark web or ransom demands, and anonymous sources indicate that VSSE's security team monitors dark web hacking forums and marketplaces for leaked information. "The timing of the attack was especially unfortunate, as we were in the...