The United States’ Department of Justice, FBI, and the UK government have reported a widespread campaign of cyberattacks. The operations carried out were supposedly managed by Chinese hacktivist groups (supported and funded by their government), with the objective being “to suppress critics of the regime in Beijing, undermine governmental institutions and steal trade secrets,” said the US Deputy Attorney General, Lisa Monaco.
The UK has officially attributed a breach in the Election Commission, which resulted in the leak of personal data of 40 million British voters, to China. At the same time, the United States has brought charges against 7 Chinese citizens for hacking operations conducted within the threat group APT31. Seven individuals will be taken to account on charges of attacking government officials and US companies.
– “Today, the governments of the UK and US have announced action against APT31, a Chinese hacking group engaged in cyber espionage. In the UK, APT31 carried out an attack, taking over data from numerous members of parliament, breaking into the British Election Commission systems, and leaking data archives pertaining to 40 million voters in the UK. In the US, the hacktivists sent over 10,000 malicious emails to journalists, politicians, and companies, with the aim to undermine trust in government institutions, steal trade secrets and repress critics of the Chinese government. The coordinated action of the UK and US governments appears to send a message to China that such activities will not be tolerated. It’s worth noting that APT31 has been active for years and has conducted numerous hacking campaigns worldwide. As cyber threats and more sophisticated actors increase, the cooperation of governments in preventing threats and countering such hacktivist groups becomes more seminal,” states Sergey Shykevich, a researcher at Check Point.
