The cameras on surveillance drones used by the United Kingdom’s Royal Marines were transmitting technical data to an IP address in China. After this was discovered, the UK Ministry of Defence disconnected the cameras from the internet. The Telegraph reports, according to UNN.
Details
"Special-purpose boats intended for use in planned missions in the Persian Gulf were equipped with Chinese-made components. Spy drones belonging to the Royal Navy and used by the UK’s elite special forces were secretly sending data to China," the publication writes.
According to available information, the cameras on K3 Scout surveillance drones contained Chinese-made components that were secretly transmitting information. After the breach was discovered, the UK Ministry of Defence was forced to disable all internet connections to the cameras.
"The revelation raises fears that Beijing is attempting to spy on the British military after years of warnings from the security service about the threat posed by the country. The drones were supplied by major British defence contractor Kraken Technology Group, which purchased the cameras from a third party that guaranteed their security. An investigation into the drones found that the cameras were transmitting a ‘heartbeat message’ to an IP address in China — data used to confirm that they were online and operating normally," the publication writes.
The publication notes that the Ministry of Defence insisted there was no evidence that any confidential data or systems had been sent abroad; however, the discovery raised national security concerns.
To recap
A study by Arctic Wolf Networks found that the Chinese LightSpy espionage platform is being used in 13 countries for surveillance. It enables data theft, and its infrastructure comprises 117 servers.