Image: © William/Stock.adobe.com
Just last month, prime minister Rishi Sunak revealed that the UK would increase its defence spending to 2.5pc of GDP by 2030 amid increasing foreign threats.
The UK government is expected to reveal later today (7 May) that the country’s Ministry of Defence has been the victim of a data breach conducted by a foreign state that reports suggested could be China.
While the government is not expected to reveal the name of the country behind the cyberattack on the ministry’s payroll system, a Sky News report understands the data breach to have originated in China.
Affected individuals include an unknown number of current service personnel and some veterans, whose names and bank details may have been exposed in the breach.
According to the BBC, more private information such as personal addresses may have also been exposed in the hack. Grant Shapps, UK defence secretary, is expected to update the House of Commons later this afternoon.
This is not the first time China has been the alleged perpetrator behind a UK government data breach. In March, the UK publicly accused China of being responsible for an August 2021 hack targeting the details of millions of voters held by the country’s electoral commission.
MP Tobias Ellwood, a former soldier and defence select committee member, told Sky News that China “was probably looking at the financially vulnerable with a view that they may be coerced in exchange for cash”.
Just last month, prime minister Rishi Sunak revealed that the UK would increase defence spending to 2.5pc of GDP by 2030.
“An axis of autocratic states like Russia, Iran and China are increasingly working together to undermine democracies and reshape the world order,” a government statement read at the time. “They are also investing heavily in their own militaries and in cyber capabilities and in low-cost technology.”
Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, said that protecting the digital landscape is “just as critical” as safeguarding the physical realm and that the latest UK defence ministry data breach highlights the importance for increased investment in defence and security measures.
“Cybersecurity standards are vital in government organisations, but they don’t always operate in the way they are designed. A framework is often laid out as a gold standard but in reality, corners are cut. Cybercriminals will attack all links in the chain looking for the weakest link and if this involves a small external company, this firm will require the same security as the government organisation in question,” Moore said.
“Many businesses in the government’s supply chains will handle extremely sensitive data but it is imperative that they are checked not only in terms of vetting, but in terms of continual security protocols as well. When dealing with this level of sensitive information which could potentially cause a huge knock-on effect, it is vital that they are protected to the highest possible standard.”
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
