Government data stolen in hack, minister confirms

Government data was stolen through a hack despite authorities believing the risk to individuals was “low”, a minister has said.

Business Secretary Chris Bryant told BBC Breakfast that “the investigation is ongoing” into the hack, adding that the vulnerability was “closed fairly quickly”.

A China-linked group is suspected to be behind the attack, but Bryant said investigators “don’t yet know” who was responsible.

This data appears to be in systems operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose staff detected the incident.

“We think there is a fairly low risk that individuals will be endangered or impacted,” Bryant said.

comes later sun newspaper Chinese state hackers reportedly accessed the data in October, possibly including targeted visa details.

The incident was forwarded to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

UK intelligence agencies have warned of increasing large-scale espionage from China using cyber and other means and targeting commercial and political information.

Cyber ​​agency GCHQ said last year it had allocated more resources to counter threats from China than any other country.

“Government facilities will always be potentially targeted,” Bryant said in Firday.

“We are working through the implications of this.”

“This is a part of modern life that we have to deal with and deal with,” Bryant added, noting the major hacks in recent years. Jaguar LandRover, Marks & Spencer And British Library.

Confirmation of a hack carried out by a Chinese state group would be awkward for the government ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s planned visit to Beijing next year – the first by a British prime minister since 2018.

The Labor government has said it is important to engage with China because it cannot be ignored on trade, climate change and other important issues; but face-to-face meetings also provide a forum for robust exchange of ideas on issues affecting the security of the UK.

The Chinese government has consistently denied supporting cyber attacks targeting the UK.

Last year, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said, in response to the UK government’s National Security Strategy, that “accusations such as Chinese espionage, cyber attacks and transnational pressure against the UK are completely fabricated, malicious slanders”.

Earlier this month, Sir Keir said the UK government’s policy towards China could not continue to be “hot and cold”.

He said it would be a “dereliction of duty” to fail to make progress in the relationship with China at a time when China is “a decisive force in technology, trade and global governance.”

Sir Keir said careful engagement would strengthen the UK’s leading position on the international stage and help secure the UK’s national interests, but he still acknowledged the fact that China “poses national security threats”.