A POSSIBLE ATTEMPT to hack the voicemail boxes of Oireachtas members’ telephone extensions at Leinster House is being investigated by IT specialists at the Houses of the Oireachtas.
A security message was sent to members of the Oireachtas and their political staff by the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) unit this afternoon.
The email, seen by TheJournal.ie, says that there is an investigation under way into the possibility that there were several attempts to access the voicemail boxes of members’ Oireachtas telephone extensions.
All of the attempts were unsuccessful, according to the email which was sent to members of the Oireachtas and their political personnel just before 5pm.
The email warned members and their staff to ensure their voicemail box is not hacked by ensuring they have a strong password.
A separate set of instructions was issued to civil servants working in the Houses of the Oireachtas Service, according to the email.
The Houses of the Oireachtas communications office declined to comment on the nature of the attempted hacking.
“We are not in a position to answer any of your queries as to do so would compromise security,” a spokeswoman said.
Members were warned that in order to ensure their voicemail is not hacked they should ensure they have a strong password on their voicemail box.
There are advised in the email that the password should not relate to their date of birth, home phone number or any other number which hackers could easily establish.
The email also says that members’ voicemail box will be upgraded to a new system early next year.
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