LONDON / CHINA— The U.S. and British governments imposed sanctions on Monday against a firm and two people tied to the Chinese government for a series of malicious cyberattacks on the U.K.’s election watchdog and politicians in both countries.
Officials claimed those sanctioned were responsible for a hack that may have gotten access to information on tens of millions of U.K. voters kept by the Electoral Commission, as well as cyber espionage against politicians who have been vocal about the China danger.
US And UK Announce Sanctions Over China Linked Hacks On Election Watchdog And Lawmakers
According to the Foreign Office, the hack of the election rolls “has not had an impact on electoral processes, has not affected the rights or access to the democratic process of any individual, nor has it affected electoral registration.”
The Electoral Commission stated in August that it discovered a breach in its system in October 2022 but added that “hostile actors” have been able to access its systems since 2021.
At the time, the watchdog stated that the data included registered voters’ names and residences. However, it stated that much of the information was already in the public domain.
In Washington, the Treasury Department sanctioned Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology business Ltd., describing it as a Chinese Ministry of State Security front business that has “served as cover for multiple malicious cyberoperations.”
It cited two Chinese nationals, Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin, who worked for the Wuhan company for cyber operations that targeted vital infrastructure sectors in the United States, “directly endangering U.S. national security.”
Separately, British cybersecurity officials reported that Chinese government-affiliated hackers “conducted reconnaissance activity” against British legislators critical of Beijing in 2021. They stated that no parliamentary accounts were successfully compromised.
Three legislators, including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, told reporters on Monday that they had been “subjected to harassment, impersonation, and attempted hacking from China for some time.” Duncan Smith stated that in one instance, hackers impersonating him used bogus email accounts to send messages to his contacts.
US And UK Announce Sanctions Over China Linked Hacks On Election Watchdog And Lawmakers
The lawmakers are members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international pressure group dedicated to resisting Beijing’s expanding influence and exposing alleged human rights violations by the Chinese government.
Before the announcement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that China is “behaving in an increasingly assertive way abroad” and is “the greatest state-based threat to our economic security.”
“It’s appropriate that we take precautions to protect ourselves, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said without revealing any specifics.
China opponents, notably Duncan Smith, have long urged Sunak to adopt a stronger stance on China, labeling it a threat rather than a “challenge” to the United Kingdom, but the government has refrained from using such harsh rhetoric.
US And UK Announce Sanctions Over China Linked Hacks On Election Watchdog And Lawmakers
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the findings, saying that countries should base their assertions on evidence rather than “smear” others without a factual basis.
“Cybersecurity issues should not be politicized,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated. “We hope all parties will stop spreading false information, take a responsible attitude, and work together to maintain peace and security in cyberspace.”
SOURCE – (AP)
