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Cyber security officials have confirmed they are aiding an investigation after a minister said the UK government had been hacked.<\/p>\n
Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant said earlier that investigations were “ongoing” after an attack in October. <\/p>\n
It is understood a Chinese affiliated group is suspected of being behind the attack.<\/p>\n
The UK government has not named who it thinks is responsible, with a spokesperson saying it has been “working to investigate” the incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it is “working with government partners to fully understand the impact” after Home Office systems, operated by the Foreign Office, were accessed.<\/p>\n
Speaking earlier on BBC Breakfast, Sir Chris said the security gap was “closed pretty quickly” and “we think that it is a fairly low-risk that individuals will have been compromised or affected”.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “I’m not able to say whether it is directly related to Chinese operatives, or indeed the Chinese state”.<\/p>\n
The Sun newspaper has reported that the incident took place in October, with information possibly including visa details targeted. <\/p>\n
The incident has been referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office.<\/p>\n
UK intelligence agencies have warned about increasing, large-scale espionage from China, using cyber and other means, and targeting commercial and political information.<\/p>\n
The cyber-agency GCHQ said last year that it was devoting more resources to counter threats from China than any other nation.<\/p>\n
“Government facilities are always going to be potentially targeted,” <\/b>Sir Chris said on Friday. <\/p>\n
“We are working through the consequences of what this is.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Confirmation of a hack by a Chinese state group would be awkward for the government ahead of a planned visit to Beijing next year by Sir Keir Starmer, the first by a UK prime minister since 2018.<\/p>\n
The Labour government has said it is important to engage with China as it cannot be ignored on trade, climate change and other major issues, but face-to-face meetings also provide a forum for robust exchanges about issues affecting UK security.<\/p>\n
The Chinese government has consistently denied it backs cyber-attacks targeting the UK.<\/p>\n
Last year, responding to the UK government’s National Security Strategy, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said “accusations such as Chinese espionage, cyber-attacks, and transnational repression against the UK are entirely fabricated, malicious slander”.<\/p>\n