The WhatsApp account of Finnish Economic Affairs Minister Mika Lintilä was reportedly hacked last week, and the incident is still being investigated by the Finnish Parliament’s IT department. A technical investigation is expected to be completed on Thursday, but the information gathered is being kept confidential. The hacking incident came to light when the minister’s assistant asked whether Lintilä had shared a meme on his account that appeared to poke fun at Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her colleague Matias Mäkynen from the Social Democratic Party. The picture referenced a video that emerged last summer showing Marin dancing in a nightclub with pop star Olavi Uusivirta, and a recent tabloid story alleging that Mäkynen had spent the night with a woman who was not his wife.
According to the chief information technology officer of the Finnish Parliament, Ari Apilo, “all options are open” regarding the investigation’s findings, but he suggested that the parliament might not be informed if it does not pose a data security threat. The economic affairs minister denies sending the meme and stated that he was busy at the time, adding that the phone is being examined, and the investigation will reveal what is found.
Hacking a WhatsApp account requires a significant amount of effort and specific targets. It can involve taking over the smartphone, for example, using malware, or tricking others into offering information needed to access accounts, such as one-time security codes. Social engineering attacks are rare because they are labor-intensive and require specific targets, according to Mikko Kenttälä, head of cyber security and information security at Electronic Frontier Finland (Effi). Kenttälä stated that it is much easier to find indications of whether an external person had access to the WhatsApp account than to find out who the possible perpetrator was.