Australia, New Zealand condemn China-linked cyberattacks

New Zealand has accused China of “malicious cyber activities” linked to Chinese state actors, which targeted its parliament in 2021.

The government “today expressed concerns about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese government,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Tuesday.

It comes a day after the US and UK claimed China-linked hackers were behind a cyberespionage campaign that stole British voter data and targeted millions of people , including lawmakers, academics, journalists and defense contractors.

“Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable and we have urged China to refrain from such activities in the future,” Peters said, adding that officials had expressed concerns about targeting democratic institutions during discussions with the Chinese ambassador.

“The use of cyberespionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Judith Collins, New Zealand’s minister for communications security, said in a separate statement.

New Zealand’s intelligence service, the National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC), “conducted a robust technical assessment following a compromise between the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Parliamentary Service in 2021,” Collins said.

This activity was attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored group, she added.

The Chinese embassy in New Zealand did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Australia has also joined in condemning China’s alleged cyberattacks targeting democratic institutions and British parliamentarians.

Although Australia’s electoral systems were not compromised by cyber campaigns that targeted the United Kingdom, “the continued targeting of democratic institutions and processes has implications for democratic and open societies like Australia,” it said. a press release from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 2019, Australian intelligence reportedly determined that China was responsible for a cyberattack on its national parliament and three of the largest political parties ahead of a general election, although the government never officially revealed the culprit.

China has repeatedly disputed allegations of cyber interference by the United States and the United Kingdom. Responding to reports that the UK was preparing its accusations on Monday, Chinese ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said countries should base their claims on evidence rather than “smear” others without a factual basis.

“We hope that all parties will stop spreading false information, adopt a responsible attitude and work together to maintain peace and security in cyberspace,” he said, adding that cybersecurity issues should not be “politicized”.

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against two individuals believed to be part of a group called “Advanced Persistent Threat 31,” or APT31, identified as a group of state-sponsored intelligence operatives and hackers Chinese behind a series of malicious cyberattacks. operations.

The United States also imposed sanctions on a Chinese company, called Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Co, which Treasury said was a front that “served as a cover for multiple malicious cyber operations.”

The U.S. Department of Justice also announced indictments against seven hackers allegedly associated with APT31, accused of computer intrusion and targeting perceived critics of China, as well as companies and American politicians.