Could China be involved in another political cyberattack?
The leak of data from a third-party payroll system exposed the names, bank details and, in some cases, addresses of some 272,000 active-duty military personnel and veterans of the UK Armed Forces. According to Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, the systems were immediately disabled. Investigators say that the campaign was probably funded by the state structures of one of the opposing countries.
Shapps emphasizes that there is no direct evidence of state involvement yet, but this cannot be ruled out. He did not confirm media reports that Chinese hackers may be behind the cyberattack - for reasons of national security, additional details could not be disclosed.
The leak affected customer data for SSCL, the largest provider of critical support services for the government. In addition to the Ministry of Defense, its clients include the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Justice.
The incident caused concern in the Parliament. The opposition official asked why the media already has information about China's possible involvement, if the government is not ready to confirm it officially.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, responding to questions about the reports, said it opposes all forms of cyber attacks and "the use of cybersecurity to deliberately political slander other countries."
SSCL was created as a joint venture between the British government and a private technology company. Last year, the government completely withdrew from the founders, selling the remaining 25% of the company's shares.
In March, the United Kingdom and the United States blamed hacking groups linked to the Chinese government for a series of cyberattacks on U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the U.K. election watchdog. Two States have imposed sanctions on a number of individuals, and the United States has indicted seven alleged attackers.
The leak of data from a third-party payroll system exposed the names, bank details and, in some cases, addresses of some 272,000 active-duty military personnel and veterans of the UK Armed Forces. According to Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, the systems were immediately disabled. Investigators say that the campaign was probably funded by the state structures of one of the opposing countries.
Shapps emphasizes that there is no direct evidence of state involvement yet, but this cannot be ruled out. He did not confirm media reports that Chinese hackers may be behind the cyberattack - for reasons of national security, additional details could not be disclosed.
The leak affected customer data for SSCL, the largest provider of critical support services for the government. In addition to the Ministry of Defense, its clients include the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Justice.
The incident caused concern in the Parliament. The opposition official asked why the media already has information about China's possible involvement, if the government is not ready to confirm it officially.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, responding to questions about the reports, said it opposes all forms of cyber attacks and "the use of cybersecurity to deliberately political slander other countries."
SSCL was created as a joint venture between the British government and a private technology company. Last year, the government completely withdrew from the founders, selling the remaining 25% of the company's shares.
In March, the United Kingdom and the United States blamed hacking groups linked to the Chinese government for a series of cyberattacks on U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the U.K. election watchdog. Two States have imposed sanctions on a number of individuals, and the United States has indicted seven alleged attackers.
