UK Declines to Name Cyberattack Perpetrator Amid Speculation

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has declined to identify the “malign actor” behind a cyber attack on the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), amid speculation that China carried out the hack. The Government confirmed that a third-party payroll system was hacked, potentially compromising the bank details of service personnel and veterans. Sunak stated that there were “indications that a malign actor” had compromised the database but did not attribute the attack to any specific state or actor.

Grant Shapps, the UK Defence Secretary, is expected to address the attack, but he too is not expected to name the perpetrator. Sunak highlighted the UK’s robust policy towards Beijing, aiming to protect against threats posed by China and other authoritarian states.

The MoD has taken the affected network offline and offered support to personnel impacted by the incident. A security review of the contractor’s operations has been launched, and initial investigations have not found evidence of data removal. However, service personnel will be alerted as a precaution and provided with advice and data protection services.

The MoD has been investigating the scale of the attack since it was discovered. The UK Government has accused China of previous malicious cyber campaigns, and the Chinese embassy has denied any involvement, calling such claims “fabricated and malicious slanders.”

Source: The Independent

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