Russia and China hack Foreign Office computer systems in main nationwide safety breach

Russian and Chinese hackers carried out a serious nationwide safety breach towards the UK. The i revealed {that a} cyber assault penetrated the Foreign Office’s inside programs. However, the devastating and “embarrassing” hack was saved secret from the general public for years.

The hack, which happened in 2021, allowed the cyber brokers to entry emails, inside messages, and groups conferences contained in the essential authorities division.

It is believed that the Chinese and Russian hackers didn’t work collectively however as a substitute accessed the programs on the identical time in separate assaults.

Britain’s adversaries made it into the interior programs however have been unable to entry labeled data, in accordance with a GCHQ supply.

While the data was not labeled, it could have put diplomats in hostile environments in danger.

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The hack could have additionally broken relationships with vital British allies after revealing personal communications.

A supply on the UK’s intelligence, safety and cyber company mentioned the assault doubtless got here from an official “unintentionally” downloading malware hidden in an e mail.

A GCHQ insider claimed that the Government saved the hack underneath wraps because of the “embarrassment” of the large-scale hack.

They instructed the i: “At one point we believe both were on there.

“It was very embarrassing and caused a great stir in government because they didn’t know whether they should admit it or not.

“It would have been an enormous amount of information.

“But none of it should have been classified, just daily business stuff.”

The Foreign Office hack happened across the identical time as a shocking 14-month-long infiltration of the Electoral Commission’s IT system.

Russia is suspected of being behind the major cyber attack which exposed the data of up to 40 million British voters.

The Electoral Commission revealed on Tuesday it had been the victim of a successful “complicated cyber assault” from “hostile actors”.

Earlier this yr the UK’s cyber safety company urged operators of essential nationwide infrastructure, together with power and telecommunications networks, to forestall Chinese hackers from hiding on their programs.

Elsewhere, Microsoft warned this week {that a} Chinese hacking group had compromised “critical” infrastructure within the US to be able to disrupt communications between the nation and Asia within the occasion of a disaster.

The Chinese overseas ministry hit again on the allegations, saying they “lacked evidence” and accused the US of being a “hacker empire”