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New Zealand has accused China of “malicious cyber activity” linked to Chinese state actors who targeted the New Zealand parliament in 2021.
The New Zealand government “today expressed concern about malicious cyber activity by groups sponsored by the Chinese government” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said Tuesday.
A day earlier, the United States and Britain claimed that hackers linked to China were behind a cyber espionage campaign that stole data from British voters and targeted individuals including lawmakers, academics, journalists and defense contractors. Millions of people attacked.
“Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and we urge China not to engage in such activity in the future,” Peters said, adding that officials expressed their concerns about targeting democratic institutions in discussions with the Chinese ambassador.
“The use of cyber espionage to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” New Zealand Communications Security Minister Judith Collins said in a statement. separate statement.
Collins said New Zealand’s intelligence agency, the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), “completed a robust technical assessment following the 2021 breach of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Department of Parliamentary Services”.
She added that the campaign was launched by a Chinese state-sponsored organization.
The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Australia They also jointly condemned China’s so-called cyber attacks on British democratic institutions and parliamentarians.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said in a statement that while Australia’s electoral system had not been affected by the cyber attacks on the UK, “continued targeting of democratic institutions and processes has implications for a democratic and open society like Australia’s”.
In 2019, Australian intelligence agencies reportedly determined that China was responsible for cyberattacks on its National Assembly and three of the largest political parties ahead of the election, but the government never officially disclosed the culprits.
China has repeatedly disputed claims of cyber interference by the United States and Britain. respond In response to reports that Britain was preparing to make accusations on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that countries’ claims should be based on evidence rather than “smearing” others without factual basis.
We hope that all parties will stop spreading false information, adopt a responsible attitude, and jointly maintain peace and security in cyberspace. ” He added that cyber security issues should not be “politicized.”
On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announce sanctions Two individuals have been charged with belonging to the Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31) group, which has been identified as a collection of malicious cyber operations composed of Chinese state-backed intelligence officers and contract hackers.
The United States also imposed sanctions on a Chinese company called Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Technology Co., Ltd., which the Treasury Department said was a front that “provides cover for a variety of malicious cyber operations.”
The U.S. Department of Justice also announced indictment It targets seven hackers allegedly linked to APT31, who are accused of hacking computers and targeting China’s critics as well as U.S. businesses and politicians.
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