UK & US Warn On Alleged Chinese Hacks

(MNI) London - The US and UK have accused Chinese state-affiliated groups of being involved in hacking of senior officials as well as data related to millions of individuals. In response to the alleged hacks, the UK has imposed its first sanctionson Chinese state-linked groups in three years, with the move being mirrored by US sanctions. SCMP reports: "Intelligence services accused China’s state-affiliated APT31 of “conducting reconnaissance activity” against a group of lawmakers who were “prominent in calling out the malign activity of China” in 2021"

• UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told the House of Commons that the UK "holds China state-affiliated cyber organisations responsible for two malicious cyber campaigns targeting democratic institutions and parliamentarians." Claims that "This is the latest in a clear pattern of hostile activity originating in China," having claimed that the gov't was "almost certain" that the state-linked APT31 were behind the attacks.
• A spox for the Chinese embassy in London has said that "The so-called cyber attacks by China against the UK are completely fabricated and malicious slanders," and that "China does not encourage, support or condone cyber attacks."
• The gov't of UK PM Rishi Sunak had previously stepped back from some of the more hawkish rhetoric of previous Conservative administrations, referring to China as an "epoch-defining challenge", rather than a "threat" as some of his party's lawmakers had avocated. Any change to the language Sunak or senior ministers use could indicate the future stance of the UK gov't towards China.