UK says China behind cyber attacks
On 25 March, the UK Government accused China of being behind cyber attacks where personal information about millions of people in the UK was accessed. A cyber attack is an illegal attempt to steal, reveal or destroy information from a computer system.
What were the attacks?
In August 2021, the Electoral Commission, the organisation in the UK that checks elections are run properly, faced a cyber attack. This allowed the attackers to get hold of the personal details of around 40 million people who were registered to vote. There have also been several cyber attacks against senior UK politicians.
What did the Government say?
The UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement that China was responsible for the cyber attacks. He said that although they didn’t threaten the security of elections in the UK, China’s behaviour has been unfriendly. The UK Government has put sanctions (a form of punishment) on two people and a company it believes were involved in the attacks. Dowden said the Government wanted to be open about the cyber attacks so that officials could highlight China’s behaviour. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that China presented a threat to the UK’s national security. He added, “It is right we take steps to protect ourselves.”
How did people react?
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s government, has said the UK should “stop spreading false information”. He also said that China tries to crack down on cyber attacks as much as possible. Some people have said that the UK didn’t respond quickly and firmly enough to the cyber attacks. Conservative MP (member of parliament) Henry Smith told The Independent newspaper that when it comes to China, the UK Government should have a much stronger response to cyber threats.