Government website hackers post fake James Bond job ad

Hackers have hit the government's new Gov.UK website, defacing a section of its jobs listing with a fake advert for a spy to "remove people whose continued existence poses a risk to the effective conduct of public order", under the job code 007.

The job, supposedly as part of the Secret Intelligence Service, is titled ‘target elimination specialist', and would "involve international travel to a number of countries where individuals need to be removed", as well several other nods to James Bond.

"The job holder will receive all necessary equipment, including passports, special watches, jet packs, mini-submarines and a Walther PPK. This role is particularly appropriate for those who like their martinis shaken and not stirred," the hackers wrote.

V3 contacted the Cabinet Office, which oversees the Government Digital Service (GDS) which runs the new Gov.UK website, for comment on the hack, but had received no reply at time of publication.

While the hack is more comic than malicious it's a worrying development that shows how easy the government's pages are to hackers, opening up questions as to the security in place in government around key websites.

There could also be the possibility the page is the work of a disgruntled employee, although at present information is too scarce to draw any clear conclusions.