Security buff hits out at SNP MP Stewart McDonald after emails ‘hacked by Russian spy group’
A SECURITY buff suggested Nat Stewart McDonald wasn’t clued up on cyber safety after he fell for a feared Russian hack.
Professor Anthony Glees said the MP should have realised he was being targeted by scammers when opening an attachment triggered a password prompt.
We told how the Glasgow South SNP politician thought that a staffer had emailed him the file, labelled a “military update” on Ukraine.
But he contacted the National Cyber Security Centre and UK parliament’s security team when the employee said he didn’t send it.
Prof Glees, of Buckingham Uni, said: “The NCSC tells MPs exactly what to look out for.
“It’s hard to see why Mr McDonald appears not to have been up to speed with advice.
Read more SNP
“Whenever you are asked to log in to a site on which you are already logged in, you’re about to be hacked.”
The intelligence expert also blasted Mr McDonald’s handling of the dodgy message, which he said would have “looked sensitive”.
He added: “He shouldn’t have wanted to examine it away from his desk. If he’d decided it was right to do so, to log in when he was already logged in, he should have stopped there and then.”
Speaking about his ordeal, Mr McDonald wrote on Twitter: "Over the past couple of weeks I have been dealing with a sophisticated and targeted spear phishing hack of my personal email account, and the personal email account belonging to one of my staff. These hacks are a criminal offence.
Most read in News
"Although attempts to hack my parliamentary account are continuous - as is the case for all MPs - these have not been successful.
"I want to assure constituents that their information is secure. My private account is not used for constituency or parliamentary business.
"As was the case here, these attempts are highly sophisticated and deeply convincing.
"Having spoken with others who this has also happened to - most of whom have a heightened sense of cyber security and good practice - it's easy to see how anyone can fall victim."
He added: "So in going public I want to raise awareness and urge people to be extra vigilant."
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at scoop@thesun.co.uk or call 0141 420 5200