LONDON – The United States and Britain on Monday accused hackers linked to the Chinese state of being behind “malicious” cyber campaigns targeting political figures, in an effort that is predicted to increase tensions with Beijing.
The British government also said that hackers linked to China were behind the attack, which gave access to the data of millions of voters.
“I can confirm today that Chinese state-linked actors were responsible for two malicious cyber campaigns targeting our democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told parliament on Monday.
Dowden attributed the hack of the Electoral Commission, an independent agency tasked with setting standards for running elections in the UK, to an entity with ties to the Chinese state. The campaigns were to happen in 2021–2022.
The attack was identified by the Electoral Commission in October 2022 but was only disclosed last yr. Hackers gained access to the names and addresses of everyone in the UK registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, the Electoral Commission said in a statement Public announcement for 2023.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the UK said allegations that China was behind cyberattacks in the UK were “completely fabricated and malicious slander”.
“We strongly oppose such accusations,” a Chinese embassy spokesman told reporters at a press conference on Monday, according to update what was posted on its website. “China has always resolutely combated all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law.”
“Clear Pattern”
Dowden said the UK believed China was behind an attempt to recognize the email accounts of British lawmakers in summer 2021. He accused the Chinese hacker group APT31 of being behind the attack.
Mandiant, a Google-owned cybersecurity firm, describes APT31 as a “China-linked cyber espionage entity focused on obtaining information that could provide political, economic and military benefits to the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises.”
Dowden added that attempts to hack British lawmakers’ email accounts were unsuccessful.
“We now want to be as open as possible with the House of Representatives and the British public,” Dowden said. “This is the latest example in a clear pattern of hostile actions originating in China.”
Dowden said the UK had imposed sanctions on two people residing in China, in addition to an entity related to APT31.
The US attacks China
Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled an indictment on Monday accusing Chinese state-linked hackers of waging cyber campaigns targeting U.S. firms, government officials and politicians.
The Department of Justice has charged seven Chinese nationals, Ni Gaobin; Weng Ming; Cheng Feng; Peng Yaowen; Xiaohui Sun; Xiong Wang; and Zhao Guangzong, with conspiracy to commit computer hacking and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his participation in a Chinese hacking group that has targeted critics, businesses and political officials in the United States and abroad for 14 years.
The Department of Justice reported that these people operated as part of the APT31 hacking group.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate efforts by the Chinese government to intimidate Americans who serve our people, silence dissidents protected under U.S. law, or steal from American businesses,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement Monday.
“This case is a reminder of what the Chinese government is willing to pursue to target and intimidate its critics, including conducting malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and our allies,” Garland added.
Geopolitical tensions
The statements from the UK and US are likely to anger Beijing.
Relations between the UK and China have deteriorated over the years, particularly on the technology front, following moves by the British government to contain threats to national security from Chinese tech firms.
“The impact of such a breach on the UK-China relationship could be profound,” Javvad Malik, chief security awareness advocate at cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, told CNBC via email on Monday.
“This is likely to escalate tensions, leading to diplomatic tensions and potentially resulting in retaliatory actions in the cyber domain or other areas of bilateral cooperation.”
Malik added that the situation “requires a decisive response not only to secure the attacked systems and prevent further violations, but also to strengthen international legal and norm-based systems regulating the behavior of states in cyberspace.”
“To mitigate the impact and prevent future incidents, it is important that nations invest in stronger cybersecurity defenses, international cooperation and the development of capabilities to deter adversaries in the cyber domain,” he said.
Some hawkish lawmakers are pressing the UK government to take tougher motion against China.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance for China, a cross-border group of lawmakers in search of to reform China policy, said in a post on the X social media platform on Monday that it and other members of parliament, activists and dissidents have been “subjected to harassment, impersonation and hacking attempts from China for a while.”
“We take this opportunity to emphasize that while extremely unwelcome, our discomfort pales in comparison to the Chinese dissidents who risk their lives to oppose the Chinese Communist Party. It is high time they received more support for host governments,” the group said.
For example, in 2020, the UK government banned Huawei telecommunications equipment from its 5G mobile network, citing espionage concerns. Huawei, for its part, denies the allegations and says it would not cooperate with China to spy on Western communications.
Relations between the US and China are also under significant pressure. US lawmakers recently approved controversial laws that could lead on to TikTok being blocked in the US unless it breaks up with Chinese parent ByteDance.
If the bill becomes law, TikTok would have a little lower than six months to divest from ByteDance or be blocked from U.S. hosting apps and sites
