CERT-EU’s rapid response effectively contained a recent data breach linked to severe vulnerabilities in Ivanti software within a mere nine hours.
The European Commission has reported a cyber attack on its central systems, potentially exposing the personal information of its employees. According to an official statement from the Commission, the intrusion was detected on January 30, 2026, specifically affecting systems that manage mobile devices for staff, known as Mobile Device Management (MDM) software. This type of software is employed by large organizations to regulate applications and security protocols across multiple devices simultaneously.
While the precise software provider involved in the attack has not been disclosed, it is notable that the incident coincided with Ivanti’s warning about two critical vulnerabilities present in its Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM). These vulnerabilities, designated CVE-2026-1281 and CVE-2026-1340, involve code injection, enabling attackers to send malicious commands that are executed by the software as though they were legitimate. This exploitation allows remote control of servers without requiring user credentials.
Swift Action Taken to Protect Data
The European Commission acted swiftly, securing and cleansing the affected systems within hours of detecting the intrusion. Although it is believed hackers had access to names and phone numbers of the staff, the Commission reassured that “no compromise of mobile devices was detected,” indicating that while the control systems were breached, the individual devices remained safe.
This incident highlights the ongoing risks faced by European institutions, which are frequent targets for cyber threats. Similar attacks have recently impacted governmental organizations in the Netherlands and Finland, including a breach reported by Valtori, a Finnish agency that may affect up to 50,000 users. Security analysts at Shadowserver have noted that numerous servers around the globe could be vulnerable due to the same software flaws.
Boosting Europe’s Digital Defences
Significantly, this breach follows closely on the heels of the introduction of the European Commission’s Cybersecurity Act 2.0 on January 20, which aims to enhance the EU’s resilience against major cyber threats. CERT-EU remains vigilant, operating around the clock to monitor and mitigate risks before they escalate. Moving forward, the Commission has committed to conducting a comprehensive review of this incident to refine its data protection strategies.
Expert Analysis
David Neeson, Deputy SOC Team Lead at Barrier Networks, expressed concern regarding the handling of these vulnerabilities. He noted that while the Commission reported minimal impact, the incident raises important questions about the current deployment of EPMM software. Ivanti has released temporary patches to address the vulnerabilities, but a complete fix is still forthcoming, leaving potential gaps in security if these patches were not deployed to the Commission’s systems.
This patching strategy complicates the security landscape. Ivanti’s patches may revert when updating to new software versions, requiring separate patches for different iterations of EPMM. This fragmented methodology places organizations at heightened risk compared to the implementation of a unified comprehensive update. Neeson emphasized that speed is crucial in preventing such attacks and suggested that incomplete patching could have facilitated the breach.
This targeted attack seems to have impacted only a select group of Ivanti’s clients, indicating a possible motive linked to political objectives. Organizations utilizing EPMM software, both within the EU and abroad, should prioritize immediate patch deployment to safeguard their systems. Ivanti has introduced an RPM tool to assist customers in detecting EPMM breaches, reinforcing the need for vigilance in conjunction with standard security practices to identify potential exploitation signals.