In October, the UK Foreign Office suffered a cyberattack, which British officials suspect involved Chinese state-sponsored actors. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
The security breach was first reported by The Sun newspaper, stating that a group linked to Beijing had gained access to thousands of documents. In a series of television interviews on Friday, Trade Minister Chris Bryant confirmed the attack, adding that the risk to individuals was low.
We believe we were able to close this gap quite quickly. We believe the risk of individuals being affected or compromised is quite low.
Bryant noted that he could not confirm the authorship of the cyberattack or the existence of Chinese links. However, British officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, suspect that actors linked to the Chinese state are behind the incident, although this has not yet been officially confirmed.
"We are working to investigate a cyber incident," the UK government said. "We take the security of our systems and data extremely seriously."
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The incident – which Bryant said has been under investigation since October – comes as the UK seeks to re-evaluate its relationship with the Asian nation after a cooling of relations in recent years due to other cyberattacks, espionage, and Beijing's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, a former British colony.
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As the publication notes, the official policy of the Labour Party government is to cooperate, compete, and confront China, seeking to benefit from trade with the world's second-largest economy while simultaneously protecting national interests and security.
Although Prime Minister Keir Starmer this week criticized the verdict against former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, he still plans to make his first official visit to China next month.
"It is absolutely clear that Jimmy Lai has been targeted by the authorities," Starmer told the House of Commons on Wednesday. "This is wrong, and I am stating it. It is important to continue engagement so that we can raise this issue with our counterparts."
Another source of tension has been the repeated delays by the UK in making a final decision on approving a new Chinese embassy in London. The mission is set to be the largest in Europe, but its location near the City's financial center and above sensitive fiber-optic cables raises concerns.
The October cyberattack was another in a series of breaches. British companies Jaguar Land Rover and Marks & Spencer were affected by attacks earlier this year, leading to the shutdown of key services. Commenting on these two cyberattacks, Bryant told the BBC that they have now become "part of modern life that we have to deal with."