Network Security

UK politician admits and apologizes for hacking into opponent’s website 10 years ago

A now high-ranking member of the UK Conservative Party admitted and apologized for hacking into her Labour opponent's website to post pro-Tory propaganda, a crime punishable by up to two years in prison.

Kemi Badenoch, the newly appointed vice chairman of the Conservative Party, confessed to the cyber intrusion, saying she conducted the attack 10 years ago before she was elected to Parliament, reported The Daily Mail. Badencoch, who is now the MP for Saffron Walden, Essex and has been mentioned as a potential contender for prime minister, said she changed the website to “say nice things about the Tories.”

She apologized for what she now calls a foolish prank and said she was able to gain access to the site by simply guessing a password rather than using any technical hacking tools.

Labour MP Harriet Harman, formerly the minister for women, has accepted the apology.

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