China maliciously accessed 40 million British citizens in their cyber attacks. Britain and the United States have accused Beijing of launching a “prolific” global campaign of cyberattacks, targeting people’s personal information. politicians, journalists, academics and millions of voters.
The two people sanctioned by the UK are Zhao Guangzong38 years old, and Ni Gaobin38. Both are said to be members of the hacker group APT31as well as Wuhan Xiaoruizhi of Science and Technology Company Ltd, which the government said was a front organization for APT31.
The ministers are also ready to formally declare China “a threat to Britain’s national security”following revelations about the scale of its cyber attack on the UK, a senior official said.
British Conservative MPs said the government’s actions had not been effective enough, given the scale of the threat.
Former Army intelligence officer Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative leader who has been sanctioned by Beijing and attacked by hackers, likened the government’s position to “an elephant giving birth to a mouse”.
The attack on the Election Commission hunted down Chinese hackers access to the names and addresses of over 40 million people registered voters, registered voters between 2014 and 2022. The hackers also obtained system email.
Officials believe the data could be mapped onto other datasets to help identify people, in particular dissident groups in the UK. Mass data collection is a well-known tactic of Beijing, and artificial intelligence has allowed the state to make better use of it.
Joint operation
In an unprecedented joint operation to denounce Chinese espionageLondon and Washington have revealed details of a campaign a decade long by Beijing to “suppress criticism, undermine government institutions and steal trade secrets.”
London targets members of hacking group APT31. Photo: AFPNew Zealand revealed on Tuesday that Chinese agents They had also violated their parliamentToday he condemned China for “its malicious cyber activity”.
In the UK, ministers said China gained access to a “treasure trove” of personal information in a cyberattack on British election watchdog and attempted to spy on MPs critical of Beijing. These attacks are intensifying as this year’s UK general election approaches.
The UK sanctioned two Chinese officials and one organization in response to the attacks. United States of America accused seven people for attacks that they believe have occurred since at least 2010.
China defends itself
China’s Foreign Ministry said Britain had not provided sufficient evidence of the attacks. He qualified the charges “unprofessional”. He accused the United States of working to “promote so-called Chinese cyber attacks” and announced that he had “made strong representations to the United States and relevant parties.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said Britain had not provided sufficient evidence of the attacks. Photo: APBritain summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Foreign Office to protest.
In the United States
US authorities have revealed that a small group of Chinese hackers, known as Advanced persistent threat 31 (APT31), had compromised emails, cloud storage, and phone call logs millions of Americans. Hackers sent 10,000 “malicious” emails to their targets compromise their systems.
The parliamentarians ask themselves a “new era of relations with China” among reports of cyber attacks.
The United States has warned that this information could be disclosed in support of a “malign influence,” targeting democratic processes and institutions, economic plans, intellectual property and trade secrets belonging to American companies.
In New Zealand
State-backed Chinese agents also attacked New Zealand’s Parliamentary Advisory Office and Parliamentary Service in 2021, New Zealand Security Minister Judith Collins said.
An assessment found that Chinese state-sponsored actors, known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT 40), were responsible. They are linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, according to the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).
The GCSB said on Tuesday that while the data had been removed from the New Zealand parliament’s IT systems, it was not “strategic” in nature.
The director general of the New Zealand Government Security Bureau takes aim at China. Photo: AP“The use of cyber espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes everywhere It’s unacceptable“Collins said.
Like the United Kingdom and the United States, New Zealand is also part of it the Western intelligence network Five Eyes, which includes Canada and Australia.
Ministers are also set to formally declare China a threat to Britain’s national security following revelations about the scale of its cyber attack on the UK, the deputy prime minister has said.
In the House of Commons, Oliver Dowden, deputy prime minister, insisted that the UK’s political processes and institutions had not been damaged.
“It will not affect how people register, vote or otherwise participate in democratic processes,” he said. “I want to reassure people that the compromise of this information, while obviously concerning, generally does not create a risk to those affected,” she said.
China denies it
China has denied the accusations. The Chinese embassy said: “China’s so-called cyber attacks against the UK are completely fabricated and defamatory. We strongly oppose such accusations. “China has always firmly fought against any form of cyber attack.”
“China does not encourage, support or tolerate cyber attacks” She said.
Robert Jenrick, former British immigration minister, described the response as: ridiculous and accused the government of “letting China off the hook.” “This weak response will only encourage China to continue its aggression against the UK. It is very clear that China should be classified as a hostile state She said.
Merrick Garland, US Attorney General, said the investigation showed “the lengths to which the Chinese government is willing to go to attack and intimidate its critics” and threaten “the national security of the United States and our allies ”.
Lisa Monaco, his deputy, added: “The Department of Justice will relentlessly prosecute, expose and hold accountable cybercriminals who undermine democracies and threaten our national security.”
Last year, the Times revealed that a Chinese spy I was using LinkedIn profiles to induce British officials to reveal state secrets in exchange for money.
For five years, the agent, whose main alias is Robin Zhang, created a series of aliases and fake companies to attack security officials, public officials, scientists and academics, with access to classified information or commercially sensitive technologies.
China, Britain’s fifth largest trading partner
China is Britain’s fifth largest trading partner. While total imports from China fell last year, British exports grew by almost 12%.
Government data shows trade in goods and services in the 12 months to the end of September amounted to £100.9 billion. Of this, exports to China accounted for £37.5 billion (up 11.9% from the previous 12 months) and imports accounted for £63.5 billion (down 12.6% ).
Consultancy Grant Thornton found this month that 970 Chinese-owned businesses employ more than 59,000 people in the UK. In 2023 they contributed £116.4 billion of total income to the economy.
The Sunday Times reported that EVE Energy, the Chinese maker of cylindrical batteries for Tesla-type cars, was about to invest billion in building Britain’s largest gigafactory. They are believed to be in advanced talks to build a 60 gigawatt hour factory on the outskirts of Coventry. According to sources close to the negotiations, the company will initially commit to investing at least £1.2 billion in a 20 GWh gigafactory.
Some of China’s largest investments occurred in the energy sectorparticularly in the nuclear energy sector.
Chinese state firm China General Nuclear (CGN) has bought a 33.5% stake in Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset, the first new nuclear plant built in the UK in more than 20 years.
CGN, which was blacklisted by the United States for allegedly helping to acquire American technology for military use in China, was eventually forced to abandon the project using taxpayer money. But last year the intelligence and security committee warned that it had serious doubts about future plans.
The Chinese state has also acquired stakes in British oil and gas companies and in the technology and education sectors.
Password hints
Persons with access to confidential information have received new tips for protecting your passwords and Chinese spy devices.
The new guidance, published by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), accepts that “it could be
It’s hard to remember passwords, so it’s OK to write them down.” But he urges people to “keep them safe, where other people can’t access them.”
“Separate it from your devices”, they suggest.
Recommend to use an online password manager, which will offer a secure way to store passwords, both in a web browser and in an application, using a master password or biometrics.
The NCSC says that when attackers compromise an account, they often steal or guess the password, rather than using a more sophisticated method. Weak passwords often contained names, places, or a series of numbers. The notice adds: “The NCSC recommends using a sequence of three random words to create a strong but easy-to-remember password.”
The advice is aimed at “high risk” individuals, including politicians, their staff, activists, academics, journalists and lawyers, who have access to or influence sensitive information that “could be of interest to domestic state actors”.
Advise people to always do this install updates for apps and devices and to replace old phones and laptops when manufacturers stop releasing security updates.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.