Belgian defense ministry hit by cyberattack

Belgium's ministry of defense confirmed on Monday it had been hit by a cyberattack.

Hackers exploited a vulnerability in software called Log4j, which was discovered earlier in December, a ministry spokesperson told local media. The ministry uncovered the attack last Thursday.

Cybersecurity officials across the world have rushed to patch the Log4j vulnerability over the past week. The glitch has affected a long list of software firms including Amazon and Microsoft.

State-backed hacking groups including those with ties to China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey started using the vulnerability to hack adversaries' networks, researchers warned last week.

A spokesperson for Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said "the ministry's teams have been working hard in past days to secure its networks," adding the government would continue to invest in cybersecurity.