Data of 40 million voters, e-mails of MPs. Britain blames China for giant cyber attack

“The British Foreign Office unequivocally condemns Chinese state-owned organizations and individuals who engage in malicious cyber activities against British democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

Beijing has denied the spying allegations. China’s embassy in London called them “completely fabricated” and threatened a “reasoned and necessary” response from the Asian powerhouse.

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Internet and PC

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is set to introduce new legislation that would require all individuals, such as lawyers, lobbyists and agents, who work for a foreign country at an “enhanced level” to register. If they did not report to British authorities, they could be prosecuted under the new rules.

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden stated that the just-mentioned case of an alleged Chinese cyber attack shows the need for this law, Reuters noted.

The attacks were expected to take place in 2021 and 2022. “The UK, with the support of allies around the world, has identified organizations and individuals with links to the Chinese state responsible for two malicious cyber attacks targeting democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” the British Foreign Office said.

British Foreign Minister David Cameron said he had discussed the matter with his Chinese counterpart, Wang I.

According to London, the APT31 group linked to the Chinese state is behind the failed attack on the e-mail accounts of MPs who “significantly drew attention to China’s malign activity”.

In another attack, Britain’s electoral office was “likely to have been compromised by an entity linked to the Chinese state”, the Foreign Office said.

The USA and New Zealand are also pointing at Beijing

Dowden already announced the British sanctions against these hackers on Monday. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company Ltd., which it said was a front for China’s Ministry of State Security, according to the AP. According to him, the firm conducted “numerous malicious cyber operations” against various sectors in the US, including defense, aerospace and energy.

Britain already reported on this hacker attack last year, but then did not say who it attributed responsibility for, Reuters noted.

New Zealand also blamed the Chinese state-backed group for the cyber attack. It was supposed to be an attack on the local parliament in 2021. According to Minister Judith Collins, who is in charge of protecting government communications, it was repelled.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said it was the first time New Zealand had attributed a cyber attack on its democratic institutions to a foreign state. “This is a big step for us,” Luxon said, adding that New Zealand has “significant relationships” with China.