ISIL Breached UK Ministerial Email Accounts

Islamic extremists in Syria hacked into ministerial email accounts during a cyberespionage operation uncovered by GCHQ.  

Junaid Hussain, an ISIL computer hacker from Birmingham, who was killed by U.S. forces in an August drone strike, is believed to have been involved in the computer attack.

Hussain in 2012 was jailed for six months for a hack that compromised Tony Blair’s electronic diary.

The recent cyber threat first emerged in May.

It is unclear what information the extremists were able to access. By hacking into the offices of senior ministers, the extremists could have learned of events that government figures and members of the Royal family were expected to attend.