LONDON — The United States and Britain on Monday accused hackers linked to the Chinese state of being behind a “malicious” cyber campaign targeting politicians in a move expected to escalate tensions with China.
The British government also claimed China-linked hackers were behind the attack, which accessed the data of millions of voters.
“I can confirm today that Chinese government-affiliated actors are responsible for two malicious cyber campaigns targeting our democratic institutions and members of parliament,” British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said in a speech to parliament on Monday.
Dowden attributed the hack to the Electoral Commission, the independent body responsible for setting standards for how British elections are run, by actors affiliated with the Chinese government. The campaign is said to have been carried out between 2021 and 2022.
The attack was confirmed by the Electoral Commission in October 2022 but was not made public until last year. Hackers accessed the names and addresses of everyone in the UK who registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, the Electoral Commission said in a 2023 notice.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK said claims that China was behind cyberattacks in the UK were “completely fabricated and malicious slander.”
“We strongly oppose such accusations,” a Chinese embassy spokesperson told reporters at a press briefing Monday, according to an update posted on the Chinese embassy website. “China has always resolutely opposed all forms of cyber attacks in accordance with the law.”
'Clear pattern'
Dowden said Britain believed China was behind reconnaissance attempts on British lawmakers' email accounts in the summer of 2021. He accused Chinese hacking group APT31 of being behind the attack.
Google-owned cybersecurity company Mandiant describes APT31 as “a China-linked cyber espionage actor focused on obtaining information that can provide political, economic, and military advantages to the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises.”
But Dowden added that attempts to compromise UK lawmakers' email accounts had been “unsuccessful”.
“We now want to be as open as possible to the House of Commons and the British public,” Dowden said. “This is the latest example of a clear pattern of hostile activity originating from China.”
Dowden said the UK had sanctioned two individuals residing in China and an entity linked to APT31.
US fires in China
Separately, the U.S. Justice Department on Monday unsealed an indictment accusing hackers linked to the Chinese government behind a cyber campaign targeting U.S. companies, government officials and politicians.
DOJ indicted seven Chinese nationals Ni Gaobin. Weng Ming; Chengfeng; Feng Yaowen; Sun Xiaohui; Wang Xiong; And Zhao Guangzong was charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his alleged involvement in a China-based hacking group that had been active for 14 years targeting critics, business and political officials in the United States and abroad.
The DOJ said these individuals were members of the APT31 hacking group.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement Monday: “The Department of Justice seeks to protect the Chinese government from threatening Americans who serve the public, silencing dissidents protected by U.S. law, or stealing from American companies.” “We will not tolerate ’s efforts,” he said.
“This incident serves as a reminder of the Chinese government’s intent to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations to threaten the national security of the United States and its allies,” Garland added.
geopolitical tensions
The announcements from the UK and US are likely to provoke anger in China.
Relations between the UK and China have deteriorated over the years, particularly in the technology sector, due to the UK government's actions to stem the national security risks posed by Chinese technology companies.
“The impact of such a breach on UK-China relations could be profound,” Javvad Malik, senior security awareness advocate at cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, told CNBC in an email on Monday.
“It is likely to escalate tensions, lead to diplomatic tensions and potentially lead to retaliatory actions in the cyber domain or other areas of bilateral cooperation.”
Malik added that the situation “requires a strong response, not only in terms of protecting compromised systems and preventing further violations, but also strengthening the international legal and norms-based system governing state behavior in cyberspace.”
“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 deter adversaries in the cyberspace domain,” he said.
Some hawkish lawmakers have been pressuring the British government to take stronger action against China.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a cross-border group of lawmakers seeking Chinese policy reform, said in a post Monday on social media platform He said. “There have been harassment, impersonation, and hacking attempts in China for some time,” he said.
“We take this opportunity to emphasize that although we are extremely unwelcome, our inconvenience is minimal compared to the Chinese dissidents who are risking their lives to oppose the Chinese Communist Party,” the group said. .
For example, in 2020, the British government banned Huawei's telecom equipment from its 5G mobile network, citing surveillance concerns. Huawei denies the claims and says it will not cooperate with China to spy on Western communications.
The relationship between the United States and China is also under considerable pressure. U.S. lawmakers recently approved a controversial bill that could see TikTok blocked in the U.S. if it doesn't break up with its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
If the bill passes, TikTok will have less than six months to be sold by ByteDance or banned from apps and web hosting sites in the United States.