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MI5 website hacked

Hackers have attacked an MI5 search engine in a bid to get hold of visitor’s information.

By Jennifer Scott, 30 Jul 2009 at 11:24

Part of the MI5's website has been hacked in an attempt to steal visitor’s identities, it emerged last night.

According to reports, a group of hackers calling themselves “Team Elite” were not only attempting to steal personal details but also passing on viruses to users' machines.

The Conservative MP Patrick Mercer told the Daily Express last night: “Having potentially highly-classified information available to hackers is deeply concerning. The identity of agents and ¬informers in terror groups such as Al Qaeda are held by MI5.”

IT PRO contacted the Home Office who said the problem was limited to the search engine, which is a separate application on a separate server from the rest of the website.

A spokesperson said: “MI5 take security very seriously. Their website is secure and hosted in a high-security environment."

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