Bogotá Investigates Possible Health Agency Email Compromise Linked to European Airport Bomb Hoax

 

Authorities in Bogota, Colombia, have opened an investigation into whether an email account used by a public health agency was accessed without authorisation or if it was spoofed in a bomb threat email sent to an airport in Europe. The threat comes after a wave of bomb threats via email has caused chaos at airports throughout Europe since Monday. Flights have been diverted, and security checks and searches have been conducted but so far no devices have been found. 

In the Bogota related email seen by Recorded Future News, the message was sent to contacts in Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and appeared to be sent using the Subred Sur Occidente domain. This is a public hospital network covering the southern west of Bogota. The email said there were explosives on board two flights heading to Rome. One was a Finnair flight from Helsinki which was escorted into Rome by Italian Air Force fighter jets. The other was an Aer Lingus flight which was diverted to a French military base. 

Bogota’s mayor’s office has confirmed it received an international alert regarding a possible use of an email address used by a health agency in the city. An investigation has been ordered to find out what happened, according to a statement on the Subred Sur Occidente website. The administration also highlighted that there have been suspected cyber-attacks on public institutions recently. It cannot be ruled out that international hackers have been involved or that government email addresses have been compromised. 

It is still being investigated whether the email account used by the hospital network was used to send the threat, or if it was just spoofed. There is also no evidence to currently link staff from the health agency to the threat or why the domain was chosen. Several of the threats to European airports have been signed off with names linked to a Russian misogynistic group which is banned in Russia. 

However experts have warned that this does not mean they can be blamed. The threats have also been sent to several Irish media outlets on Friday. The messages claimed to be linked to the same group. The Irish government have said the threats to media outlets are serious and it is not clear if they have come from individuals or an organised effort. 

However the timing and similarities to the airport disruptions mean it is likely to be an organised campaign. A spokesperson for the Taoiseach of Ireland could not be immediately reached to ask if the government’s statement was based on any specific intelligence. It is not known who has sent the series of threats.