Chinese hackers "target Whitehall"

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 5 Sep 2007 at 12:23

Chinese hackers with links to the People's Liberation Army have been attacking the computer networks of the British government, reports claim.

Among the targets were a number of high-profile departments including the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, though quite how severe the attacks were has yet to be disclosed.

An attack that shut down part of the House of Commons network last year was also blamed on a Chinese hacking group, with links to the military.

One expert, speaking to the Guardian, describes the threat from Chinese hackers as a "constant ongoing problem".

Earlier this week, the Chinese government denied reports it had been behind the hack on the Pentagon military network in June, during which hackers managed to penetrate the email system used by the office of Robert Gates, the US defence secretary.

The Financial Times said American officials had called it the most successful cyberattack on the US defence department. The attack caused part of the US defence network to be shut down for a week, during which time the hackers were traced to computer addresses which suggested they were part of the People's Liberation Army.

The Chinese government responded by calling the US accusations "groundless".