Britain on Tuesday (Mar 26) summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy to register its protest against the alleged cyber-attacks from Chinese state actors against the UK’s democratic institutions.

“The (Foreign Office) set out the Government’s unequivocal condemnation of Chinese state-affiliated organisations and individuals undertaking malicious cyber activity against UK democratic institutions and parliamentarians," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement.

"The UK Government would not tolerate such threatening activity, and would continue to take strong action with partners across the globe to respond," the statement added.

<h2>Allegations against Chinese hackers</h2>

Authorities in the UK, US and New Zealand have accused China-linked hackers this week of targeting election officials, journalists, parliamentarians and pro-democracy activists.

The US State Department announced it was indicting seven hackers from the People's Republic of China (PRC), including Ni Gaobin, Weng Ming, Cheng Feng, Peng Yaowen, Sun Xiaohuannouncedi, Xiong Wang, and Zhao Guangzong.

“The United States Government is taking a series of actions against APT 31, a cyber threat group connected to the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) that has targetted US officials, politicians and campaign officials, various US economic and defence entities and officials, as well as foreign democracy activists, academics, and government officials," the department said in a statement.

Watch:&nbsp;UK: Britain blames China for cyberattacks on election commission, politicians

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The UK also accused China of targeting “democratic institutions and parliamentarians" in two cyber campaigns. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed that a "Chinese state-affiliated entity" likely compromised UK Electoral Commission systems, though election security remained unaffected.

<h2>China dismisses claims</h2>

As expected, the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday vehemently dismissed the claims and termed them as "typical political manipulation".

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwjU_vzij5KFAxXmRmcHHUVACtgQxfQBKAB6BAgKEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-announces-sanctions-against-chinese-hackers-for-targeting-critical-infrastructure-704266" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/world/us-announces-sanctions-against-chinese-hackers-for-targeting-critical-infrastructure-704266&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjU_vzij5KFAxXmRmcHHUVACtgQxfQBKAB6BAgKEAE">US announces sanctions against Chinese hackers for years-long cyber attack campaign</a>

"For some time, the U.S., for geopolitical purposes, has encouraged the Five Eyes Alliance, the world’s largest intelligence organisation dominated by the U.S., to fabricate and disseminate all kinds of disinformation about threats posed by Chinese hackers," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

<h2>Concerns</h2>

China’s activities threatening cyber security in democratic nations have raised concerns about its ambitions to meddle in the internal affairs of other nations. The fact that it’s been revealed in 2024, a year of high-stakes elections, is even more concerning.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwjU_vzij5KFAxXmRmcHHUVACtgQxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-five-chinese-nationals-local-driver-killed-in-suicide-bomb-attack-in-pakistan-reports-704377" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-five-chinese-nationals-local-driver-killed-in-suicide-bomb-attack-in-pakistan-reports-704377&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjU_vzij5KFAxXmRmcHHUVACtgQxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE">Five Chinese engineers, local driver killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan</a>

According to some observers, China’s increased cyber activity during such sensitive times can influence or disrupt the free and fair election processes in democratic nations.

(With inputs from agencies)

Britain on Tuesday (Mar 26) summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy to register its protest against the alleged cyber-attacks from Chinese state actors against the UK’s democratic institutions.

Britain on Tuesday (Mar 26) summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy to register its protest against the alleged cyber-attacks from Chinese state actors against the UK’s democratic institutions. “The (Foreign Office) set out the Government’s unequivocal condemnation of Chinese state-affiliated organisations and individuals undertaking malicious cyber activity against UK democratic institutions and parliamentarians," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement. "The UK Government would not tolerate such threatening activity, and would continue to take strong action with partners across the globe to respond," the statement added. Allegations against Chinese hackers Authorities in the UK, US and New Zealand have accused China-linked hackers this week of targeting election officials, journalists, parliamentarians and pro-democracy activists. The US State Department announced it was indicting seven hackers from the People's Republic of China (PRC), including Ni Gaobin, Weng Ming, Cheng Feng, Peng Yaowen, Sun Xiaohuannouncedi, Xiong Wang, and Zhao Guangzong. “The United States Government is taking a series of actions against APT 31, a cyber threat group connected to the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) that has targetted US officials, politicians and campaign officials, various US economic and defence entities and officials, as well as foreign democracy activists, academics, and government officials," the department said in a statement. Watch: UK: Britain blames China for cyberattacks on election commission, politicians × The UK also accused China of targeting “democratic institutions and parliamentarians" in two cyber campaigns. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed that a "Chinese state-affiliated entity" likely compromised UK Electoral Commission systems, though election security remained unaffected. China dismisses claims As expected, the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday vehemently dismissed the claims and termed them as "typical political manipulation". Also read: US announces sanctions against Chinese hackers for years-long cyber attack campaign "For some time, the U.S., for geopolitical purposes, has encouraged the Five Eyes Alliance, the world’s largest intelligence organisation dominated by the U.S., to fabricate and disseminate all kinds of disinformation about threats posed by Chinese hackers," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. Concerns China’s activities threatening cyber security in democratic nations have raised concerns about its ambitions to meddle in the internal affairs of other nations. The fact that it’s been revealed in 2024, a year of high-stakes elections, is even more concerning. Also read: Five Chinese engineers, local driver killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan According to some observers, China’s increased cyber activity during such sensitive times can influence or disrupt the free and fair election processes in democratic nations. (With inputs from agencies)

Britain summons Chinese diplomat over ‘malicious cyber activity’

Recently the United States slammed China for one of the biggest hacks of all time. The United States accused China, the Chinese state of stealing emails and data from a Microsoft exchange, but China denied any connection with the incident.

United States: US allies, accuse China of cyberattack

The US government is convinced that China has been&nbsp;spying on its systems for the coronavirus research.

The Trump administration says&nbsp;its hospitals, research labs, pharma companies and healthcare providers have been hit by Chinese cyber attacks with the US determined to&nbsp;pluck every possible Chinese mole.

High-profile arrests have been made in the US with anyone suspected of spying for China being picked up.

Two arrests have been made in the last week both by the FBI. Dr Qing Wang has arrested from Ohio on May 13. Wang is a former employee of the Cleveland clinic. He was arrested on fraud charges at the center connected with a $3.6 million federal grant.&nbsp;

Prosecutors said Wang accepted grants from the national institute of health and violated its terms.

Wang did not disclose his affiliation with China's Huazhing university. He was the Dean of the college of life sciences and technology. Wang was also a participant in China's thousand talents program. He got a grant of $3 million from China and did not disclose it to the US government.&nbsp;

Wang is a US citizen who was born in China. He specialises in genetics and cardiovascular disease. Wang had been affiliated with the Cleveland clinic since 1997 and was fired recently.

Authorities searched Wang's Ohio home before arresting him. Wang's case is very similar to the case of Harvard professor Charles Lieber. The 60-year-old was arrested in January. Lieber had hidden his affiliations with China. He too was a participant in China's thousand talents program.

Another academic was also recently arrested.&nbsp;63-year-old Simon saw-teong Ang who is an electrical engineering professor. He is also a researcher at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

He was arrested on May 8 and charged with wire fraud. Authorities say Ang has defrauded NASA and the university. Ang secured funding for a NASA research project but he did not disclose his affiliation with a Chinese university neither did he tell the authorities about his links with Chinese companies.

United States has alleged that China has been trying to steal American technology. It includes everything from military material to medical research. America's fears aren't unfounded with several security agencies having reported an increase in phishing and malware attempts on US government employees.

The US government is convinced that China has been spying on its systems for the coronavirus research. The Trump administration says its hospitals, research labs, pharma companies and healthcare providers have been hit by Chinese cyber attacks with the US determined to pluck every possible Chinese mole.

The US government is convinced that China has been spying on its systems for the coronavirus research. The Trump administration says its hospitals, research labs, pharma companies and healthcare providers have been hit by Chinese cyber attacks with the US determined to pluck every possible Chinese mole. High-profile arrests have been made in the US with anyone suspected of spying for China being picked up. Two arrests have been made in the last week both by the FBI. Dr Qing Wang has arrested from Ohio on May 13. Wang is a former employee of the Cleveland clinic. He was arrested on fraud charges at the center connected with a $3.6 million federal grant. Prosecutors said Wang accepted grants from the national institute of health and violated its terms. Wang did not disclose his affiliation with China's Huazhing university. He was the Dean of the college of life sciences and technology. Wang was also a participant in China's thousand talents program. He got a grant of $3 million from China and did not disclose it to the US government. Wang is a US citizen who was born in China. He specialises in genetics and cardiovascular disease. Wang had been affiliated with the Cleveland clinic since 1997 and was fired recently. Authorities searched Wang's Ohio home before arresting him. Wang's case is very similar to the case of Harvard professor Charles Lieber. The 60-year-old was arrested in January. Lieber had hidden his affiliations with China. He too was a participant in China's thousand talents program. Another academic was also recently arrested. 63-year-old Simon saw-teong Ang who is an electrical engineering professor. He is also a researcher at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. He was arrested on May 8 and charged with wire fraud. Authorities say Ang has defrauded NASA and the university. Ang secured funding for a NASA research project but he did not disclose his affiliation with a Chinese university neither did he tell the authorities about his links with Chinese companies. United States has alleged that China has been trying to steal American technology. It includes everything from military material to medical research. America's fears aren't unfounded with several security agencies having reported an increase in phishing and malware attempts on US government employees.

China targeting hospitals, labs for coronavirus research, says US government

From a verbal threat to an official warning, the US has alleged China of launching cyber attacks to steal its Covid-19 vaccine research.

Is China stealing US vaccine research?

Chinese local authorities from traffic police to industry regulators were hobbled on Monday by a massive global ransomware attack, but the spread of the WannaCry worm in the country appeared less aggressive than initially feared. &nbsp;(<a href="http://http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/wannacry-what-is-ransomware-and-how-to-protect-yourself-from-it-15608">Also Read: WannaCry: What is ransomware and how to protect yourself from it</a>)

Dozens of local Chinese authorities said they had suspended some of their services due to the attack that has disrupted operations at car factories, hospitals, shops and schools around the world.

However, officials and security firms said the spread was starting to slow in the country, which has the world&#39;s largest number of Internet users.

&quot;The growth rate of infected institutions on Monday has slowed significantly compared to the previous two days,&quot; said Chinese Internet security company Qihoo 360.

&quot;Previous concerns of a wide-scale infection of domestic institutions did not eventuate.&quot;

Qihoo has previously said the attack had infected close to 30,000 organizations by Saturday evening. Of that, over 4,000 were educational institutions.

An official from Cybersecurity Administration China (CAC) told local media on Monday that while the ransomware was still spreading and had affected industry and government computer systems, the spread was slowing.

China remained a major source of attack from infected computers, at least during the Asian day, said Michael Gazeley, managing director of Network Box, a Hong Kong-based cybersecurity firm.

At about noon (0400 GMT), nearly 47 per cent of attacks on Network Box&#39;s clients came from China. This would change, Gazeley said, as Europe and US computers are turned on, but it indicated the scale of the problem there.

Chinese government bodies from transport, social security, industry watchdogs and immigration said they had suspended services ranging from processing applications to traffic crime enforcement.

It&#39;s not clear whether the services were suspended due to attacks or for emergency patching to prevent infection. Even then, adding a patch was no simple task, experts said.

&quot;If a system supports some kind critical processes those systems typically are very hard to patch... We don&#39;t have a precedent from something of this scale (in China),&quot; said Marin Ivezic, a cybersecurity expert at PwC in Hong Kong.

Affected bodies included a social security department in the city of Changsha, the exit-entry bureau in Dalian, a housing fund in Zhuhai and an industry watchdog in Xuzhou.

The ransomware, which has locked up over 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, has been mainly spread by e-mail, and in China has hit schools and colleges, energy giant PetroChina&#39;s &nbsp;payment systems and local government.

Security experts say most infected computers appear to be systems running out-of-date operating systems, or machines that are hard to patch without affecting crucial operations in areas like healthcare or manufacturing.

Beijing has said previously it is a victim of hacking, although the United States has accused it of cyber attacks on US government computer systems.

China is also set to implement a tougher new cyber security law from June 1, designed to strengthen critical infrastructure, even as many global tech firms and lobbies say that its cyber rules skew the playing field against foreign firms.

(Reuters)

China: Cyber attack hits government, schools, but spread slows

Chinese local authorities from traffic police to industry regulators were hobbled on Monday by a massive global ransomware attack, but the spread of the WannaCry worm in the country appeared less aggressive than initially feared. (Also Read: WannaCry: What is ransomware and how to protect yourself from it) Dozens of local Chinese authorities said they had suspended some of their services due to the attack that has disrupted operations at car factories, hospitals, shops and schools around the world. However, officials and security firms said the spread was starting to slow in the country, which has the world's largest number of Internet users. "The growth rate of infected institutions on Monday has slowed significantly compared to the previous two days," said Chinese Internet security company Qihoo 360. "Previous concerns of a wide-scale infection of domestic institutions did not eventuate." Qihoo has previously said the attack had infected close to 30,000 organizations by Saturday evening. Of that, over 4,000 were educational institutions. An official from Cybersecurity Administration China (CAC) told local media on Monday that while the ransomware was still spreading and had affected industry and government computer systems, the spread was slowing. China remained a major source of attack from infected computers, at least during the Asian day, said Michael Gazeley, managing director of Network Box, a Hong Kong-based cybersecurity firm. At about noon (0400 GMT), nearly 47 per cent of attacks on Network Box's clients came from China. This would change, Gazeley said, as Europe and US computers are turned on, but it indicated the scale of the problem there. Chinese government bodies from transport, social security, industry watchdogs and immigration said they had suspended services ranging from processing applications to traffic crime enforcement. It's not clear whether the services were suspended due to attacks or for emergency patching to prevent infection. Even then, adding a patch was no simple task, experts said. "If a system supports some kind critical processes those systems typically are very hard to patch... We don't have a precedent from something of this scale (in China)," said Marin Ivezic, a cybersecurity expert at PwC in Hong Kong. Affected bodies included a social security department in the city of Changsha, the exit-entry bureau in Dalian, a housing fund in Zhuhai and an industry watchdog in Xuzhou. The ransomware, which has locked up over 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, has been mainly spread by e-mail, and in China has hit schools and colleges, energy giant PetroChina's payment systems and local government. Security experts say most infected computers appear to be systems running out-of-date operating systems, or machines that are hard to patch without affecting crucial operations in areas like healthcare or manufacturing. Beijing has said previously it is a victim of hacking, although the United States has accused it of cyber attacks on US government computer systems. China is also set to implement a tougher new cyber security law from June 1, designed to strengthen critical infrastructure, even as many global tech firms and lobbies say that its cyber rules skew the playing field against foreign firms. (Reuters)