In an unprecedented move, the United Kingdom’s government is poised to publicly accuse China of orchestrating a cyber breach into its Electoral Commission’s database. The breach, occurring between August 2021 and October 2022, saw over 40 million voter records compromised.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is slated to address Parliament, officially attributing the cyber-attack to China. This announcement follows a parallel statement by the United States government confirming China’s responsibility for the hacking incident.
In a surprising turn, China, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, has announced plans to restrict the use of American technology. This includes imposing a ban on Intel and AMD processors due to alleged concerns of espionage, with suspicions of data being shared with the Pentagon. Additionally, China plans to phase out the use of Windows operating systems on government servers, citing the availability of alternative solutions within the country.
Despite facing international sanctions and geopolitical tensions, both China and Russia continue their aggressive cyber activities. These actions, which involve planting malware and disrupting online services in Western countries, serve to sow political and economic discord.
The persistent cyber threats from these nations pose significant challenges for Western nations, as they strive to navigate a landscape marked by digital aggression and power struggles on the global stage.
Two Chinese nationals named: Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin along with a company named Wuhan Xiaoruixhi Science and Technology Company LTD were found guilty in this whole saga and evidence has been gathered by the British government that the said two individuals and companies were affiliated to cyber threat group named APT31 and so the sanctions might follow.
An interesting comment by our reader:
“2024 will see multiple influential elections, not least in the UK and US and it is therefore more important than ever that governments and law enforcement are on standby for actions by China and other nation states looking to utilize cyber techniques to destabilizing rivals and eroding their power. So, it is good to see the UK government being transparent about the risks these nation states and cybercriminals pose to elections, and that law enforcement agencies are actively working to combat them. Doing so is critical to preserving and increasing trust in the election system and protecting our vital democracies.”
Adam Marrè, Chief Information Security Officer, Arctic Wolf and Former FBI Agent
