UK accuses China of ‘malicious’ cyberattacks on elected officials

Relations between the two countries are becoming somewhat more tense. Months before UK legislative elections, London on Monday accused the Chinese state of carrying out cyberattacks against MPs critical of Beijing and the UK Electoral Commission, announcing sanctions and summoning the Chinese ambassador.

The case is the culmination of a series of crises between the two countries in recent years, a far cry from the “golden age” desired in 2015 by former British Prime Minister David Cameron, now business and foreign secretary.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden arrived in Parliament to announce that “actors linked to the Chinese state” had carried out “two malicious cyber activities”. “This is the latest in a series of hostile actions by China that include attacks on democratic institutions and parliamentarians in the UK and elsewhere,” he said.

On Monday afternoon, the US government announced charges against seven hackers linked to the Chinese government, accused of “computer intrusions targeting people perceived to be critical of China and US companies and policies.”

“No influence”

The British Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the United Kingdom, announced in August 2023, without naming China, that it was the victim of a cyberattack by “hostile actors” who had access to its system for more than one year from 2021. and 2022. According to British media reports, the attack allowed access to servers containing, in particular, copies of voter lists with data on 40 million voters.

But, according to Oliver Dowden, these “attempts to interfere with the democracy of the United Kingdom have failed.” The intrusion “had no impact on election security” and would have “no impact on how people register, vote or participate in democratic processes,” he said. To demonstrate its firmness, in the months leading up to UK legislative elections due before the end of the year, “the Foreign Office will summon the Chinese ambassador to report on China’s behavior in these incidents.” said Oliver Dowden.

Accusations “without factual basis” against China

Two individuals and the Chinese state-linked hacker organization APT31 will also face sanctions for cyber espionage against parliamentarians critical of Beijing in July 2021. Seven Chinese nationals have been charged in the United States with “conspiracy to commit computer intrusion” and “wire fraud” is also included in this group, the US Department of Defense said in a press release.

Asked on Monday about press reports reporting Britain’s accusations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said it was necessary to rely on “objective evidence” rather than “slander other countries without a factual basis.”

In a reassuring move, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK will do “whatever is necessary” to maintain its security and defense in the face of a “historic challenge” posed by an “increasingly assertive” China. In September 2023, Rishi Sunak already told his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang about Beijing’s “interference” in the work of Parliament at Westminster after two arrests for espionage came to light six months earlier.