UK Electoral Commission Hack

Target Audience

Undergraduate
Graduate

Keywords

cyber attack
UK Electoral Commission
data breach
nation-state threat

Introduction

Overview

An unnamed nation-state's Electoral Commission suffered a significant data breach, exposing the personal data of 40 million registered voters. The breach, attributed to a Chinese APT group, exploited a zero-day vulnerability known as 'ProxyNotShell' and remained undetected for over a year.

Vulnerability Details

In October 2022, the Electoral Commission detected unauthorized access to its systems. However, the breach had started in August 2021. The attackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability called 'ProxyNotShell' to gain access. The breach affected email systems and voter registration data, prompting a security response from the UK's National Cyber Security Centre and the Information Commissioner's Office. The UK and US governments later sanctioned Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology, linking it to the attack.

Learning Objectives

Understand the nature and impact of the UK Electoral Commission cyber attack
Analyze the vulnerabilities exploited in the breach
Evaluate key lessons learned from the incident

Download

Includes a PDF case study adapted from a real-world cyber breach
Guided questions for student engagement
Instructor materials including context and background
All content packaged in a downloadable ZIP file

Remote Terminal

Terminal Description

Answer the following questions to assess your understanding of the Electoral Commission cyber attack.

Read the case study details carefully.
Select the most appropriate answer for each multiple-choice question.
Review key lessons from the breach and understand mitigation strategies.

Relevant articles and reports on the Electoral Commission hack.

Module Questions

What is the primary responsibility of the Electoral Commission?Managing social media campaignsOverseeing elections and maintaining voter registersRegulating financial marketsEnforcing cybersecurity laws

When was the Electoral Commission data breach first detected?August 2021October 2022August 2023March 2024

How many registered voters' data was compromised in the breach?10 million20 million30 million40 million

What was the initial entry point for the cyberattack?A phishing emailA zero-day vulnerability called 'ProxyNotShell'A brute force attackA compromised insider

Which organization responded to the security breach and provided support to the Electoral Commission? National Cyber Security CentreFederal Bureau of InvestigationEuropean Cyber Security AgencyUnited Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

What is one of the key lessons learned from the breach?Social media monitoring is crucialPatch management must be prioritizedFinancial audits should be conducted annuallyEmployee training is unnecessary