China Hacks UK Ministry Of Defense Computers In Latest Cyberattack

Government officials on Tuesday, reportedly briefed members of Parliament(MPs) on a massive data breach targeting the Ministry of Defense, MoD, and other civil service personnel.

China is allegedly behind two or three attempts at hacking MoD employees' payroll system exposing largely names and bank details. The contractor system is not connected to the main MoD computer systems but has been taken down and is being reviewed.

The MoD is frantically working to understand the scale of the hack which was discovered very recently.

Conservative MP  and former soldier Tobias Ellwood reportedly said that China "was probably looking at the financially vulnerable with a view that they may be coerced in exchange for cash."

The MP also said: "We are learning the hard way how art warfare is rapidly changing as technology advances. Defending the digital terrain is now just as important as the physical -- This is another reminder why we need to invest more in defence and security. Targeting the MoD's payroll and bank details was probably looking at the financially vulnerable with a view that they may be coerced in exchange for cash. And if this type of cyber attack is taking place here in the UK we can assume other NATO countries will be targeted too."

The latest hack comes less than two months after China's "state-affiliated actors" were blamed by the government for two "malicious" cyberattack campaigns in the UK. Speaking in the House of Commons, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed the two incidents involved an attack on the Electoral Commission -- responsible for overseeing elections and political finance -- in 2021, and targeted attacks against China-sceptic MPs.

Meanwhile the Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping is currently on a tour of Europe -- including to Serbia, Hungary and France where he's travelling with French President Emmanuel Macron to the Pyrenees.

Xi is not expected to visit the UK.