The European Parliament has been the target of an attack by intelligent cyber criminals, who managed to hack into its systems.
Reports have speculated that the attack could have been launched alongside the recent hacking attempt of the European Commission's (EC) systems.
It seems both attacks have left no lasting damage, despite some news reports suggesting the contrary.
According to IT Pro, upon hearing of the attacks, the Parliament's staff were told to update their login details - including their user name and password, as "common sense measures."
A representative of the European Parliament made a statement confirming the situation, claiming: "We have to carry on with caution and obviously the powers that be are taking this very seriously."
"We were notified at the Parliament there was one [cyber attack] taking place against us. If the Commission also had one it could have been a joint thing or it could have been a separate thing."
Officials at the EU Parliament should consider seeking the specialist services of a remote systems management firm, in an attempt to mitigate the chances of a remote attack happening again in the future.
These professionals are qualified and experienced; able to make systems as secure as possible and ensure they are fully protected against the efforts of hackers throughout the world.
This could be particularly poignant as one official suggested that it was most likely very experienced hackers had targeted the Parliament's system. The senior spokesperson told eGov Monitor: "This is not a couple of teenage boys hacking into the institutions."
