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LONDON – The United States and Britain said on Monday that hackers with ties to the Chinese state were behind a “malicious” cyberattack targeting politicians in a move expected to escalate tensions with the Chinese government. he accused.
The British government also claimed that China-linked hackers were behind the attack, which accessed the data of millions of voters.
British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said in a speech in Parliament on Monday: “Today we can confirm that Chinese government officials were involved in two malicious cyber campaigns targeting our democratic institutions and members of parliament. I can do it.”
Mr Dowden blamed Chinese government officials for hacking the Electoral Commission, the independent body tasked with setting standards for how Britain’s elections are conducted. The campaign is said to run from 2021 to 2022.
The attack was identified by the Election Commission in October 2022, but was not disclosed until last year. The Electoral Commission said hackers accessed the names and addresses of people who registered to vote in the UK between 2014 and 2022. Announcement in 2023.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK said that allegations of Chinese involvement in cyberattacks in the UK were “completely fabricated and malicious slander”.
“We strongly oppose such accusations,” a Chinese embassy spokesperson said at a press conference on Monday, according to reports. updateThis was posted on the company’s website. “China has always resolutely fought against all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law.”
“Clear pattern”
Mr Dowden said the UK believed China was behind an attempted reconnaissance attempt on the email accounts of British MPs in the summer of 2021, adding that Chinese hacker group APT31 was behind the attack. denounced.
Mandiant, a cybersecurity company owned by Google, describes APT31 as “a Chinese-aligned cyber espionage group focused on obtaining information that provides political, economic, and military advantage to the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises.” He explains.
Mr Dowden added that an attempt to compromise the UK MP’s email account had been “unsuccessful”.
Mr Dowden said: “We now want to be as open as possible to the House of Commons and the British people.” “This is the latest pattern of apparently hostile activity originating from China.”
Mr Dowden said the UK had sanctioned two individuals resident in China and entities associated with APT31.
US attacks China
Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice released an indictment on Monday implicating Chinese state-linked hackers behind cyberattacks targeting U.S. companies, government officials and politicians.
The Department of Justice indicted seven Chinese nationals, Nie Gaobin. Wen Ming. Cheng Feng; Peng Yaowen; Sun Xiaohui. Xiong Wan; Zhao Kwangjong is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and wire fraud for his role in a China-based hacker group that spent 14 years targeting critics, businesses, and political figures in the United States and abroad. He was charged with conspiracy.
According to the Department of Justice, these individuals were active as members of the APT31 hacking group.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement Monday that “the Department of Justice is committed to protecting Americans from efforts to intimidate Americans who serve the nation, to silence dissidents protected by American law, or to steal from American businesses.” We do not approve of the Chinese government’s efforts to do so.”
“This incident is a reminder of the Chinese government’s intent to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and its allies,” Garland said. he added.
geopolitical tensions
The UK and US announcements are likely to anger the Chinese government.
Relations between the UK and China have deteriorated over the years, particularly in the technology sector, following UK government measures aimed at stemming national security risks posed by Chinese technology companies.
“The impact of such a breach on the UK-China relationship could be significant,” Javad Malik, head of security awareness at cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, told CNBC via email on Monday.
“This is likely to increase tensions, lead to diplomatic tensions, and lead to retaliatory actions in the cyber and other areas of bilateral cooperation.”
Malik said the situation is important “not only in terms of protecting compromised systems and preventing further breaches, but also in terms of strengthening the system of international laws and norms governing state behavior in cyberspace. “A strong response is necessary,” he added.
“To mitigate the fallout and prevent future incidents, it is critical that countries invest in stronger cybersecurity defenses, international cooperation, and the development of capabilities to thwart adversaries in the cyberspace domain,” he said. Ta.
Some hawkish MPs are pressuring the UK government to take tougher measures against China.
The Interparliamentary Alliance on China, a cross-border group of lawmakers seeking to reform China policy, said in a post on social media platform I am experiencing this,” he said. For some time, there has been harassment, impersonation, and attempted hacking from China. ”
“While this is extremely unwelcome, we would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that our discomfort is insignificant compared to the Chinese dissidents who risk their lives to oppose the Chinese Communist Party,” the group said. It is time for them to receive greater support from their host governments,” the group said. .
In 2020, for example, the UK government banned the use of Huawei communications equipment in 5G mobile networks, citing espionage concerns. Huawei denies the allegations and says it does not cooperate with China to spy on Western communications.
Relations between the United States and China are also under great pressure. U.S. lawmakers recently approved: The bill is controversial and could result in TikTok being blocked in the US unless it breaks with its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
If the bill becomes law, TikTok would have just under six months to withdraw from ByteDance or be banned from the app and web hosting sites in the United States.