British intelligence is constantly engaged in a struggle against Russian and Chinese hackers, according to a top spy.
In a statement, Felicity Oswald, director of the National Cyber Security Centre, addressed the sanctioning of two Chinese officials and a shell company for cyber assaults on members of parliament and the Electoral Commission.
A cyberattack in 2021 that gained access to the personal information of forty million voters was carried out by the CCP. The targets also included members of parliament.
According to Oswald, the NCSC is tirelessly attempting to eliminate dangers and contribute to the nation’s security. The defense of democracy, she remarked, is an essential and gravely held goal of ours.
The announcement of the measures, which include travel restrictions and freezing of assets, was made by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden on March 24th. Dowden charged China with being the nation behind malevolent cyber activities. In his testimony to lawmakers, he said this was only the most recent example of China’s aggressive actions, including attacks on democratic institutions. Whenever the Chinese government threatened British interests, they would not hesitate to respond quickly and forcefully.
Reports show that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ranks China as the top state-based danger.
Several MPs desired stricter measures against China.
A former Tory leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, has called for the United Kingdom to defend human rights and uphold the global rules-based system that everyone relies on, saying that this should be a turning point.
Concerns that the system is being exploited to get spies into Britain have led Rishi Sunak’s administration to examine limiting the number of Chinese citizens who can travel to the UK on official duties for the People’s Republic and escape routine visa procedures.
According to MI5 chief Ken McCallum, Chinese spies have contacted almost 20,000 Britons via the internet in the last year. They target academics, small businesses, and startup organizations on professional networking platforms in the hopes of obtaining sensitive information.
