Authorities 1. (just / confirm) that a major cyberattack 2. (carry out) on a multinational company late last night.

According to initial reports, the company’s internal systems 3. (breach) while most employees 4. (work) remotely. Several security protocols 5. (disable), 6. (allow) the attackers to access sensitive data.

It 7. (believe) that the hackers 8. (gain) entry through a phishing email that 9. (send) to multiple staff members earlier this week. One employee 10. (report) the suspicious message, but by then the damage 11. (already / do).

The company spokesperson stated that immediate action 12. (already/take) to contain the breach and that external experts 13. (bring in) the following day to investigate the incident.

Customers 14. (advise) to change their passwords as a precaution, although no financial losses 15. (report) so far.

Officials say the perpetrators have been identified and 16. (bring) to justice as soon as possible.