Business

European Central Bank head targeted in hacking attempt

Posted July 12, 2022 7:00 am

The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) - The European Central Bank said Tuesday that its president, Christine Lagarde, was targeted in a hacking attempt but no information was compromised.

The attempt took place 'œrecently,'ť the Frankfurt-based central bank for the 19 countries that use the euro said in an emailed response to a query about a report by Business Insider. The bank added that 'œit was identified and halted quickly'ť but that it had nothing more to say amid an investigation.

Business Insider reported, without naming sources, that Lagarde was contacted by text message from what appeared to be former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone number by someone claiming that Merkel wanted to communicate with her by WhatsApp because that would be more secure.

It said that Lagarde then contacted Merkel by phone to ask whether she really wanted to communicate by WhatsApp and that whoever was behind the attempt apparently aimed to gain control of the accounts of various prominent figures on WhatsApp and other messaging services.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Business Content Providers Nation and World News

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.