UK Cyber Security Chief Names China as Dominant Hacking Threat
The UK has named China as the dominant threat to national cybersecurity, following a series of high-profile hacks and breaches involving British government departments and critical infrastructure. In a rare speech, Richard Horne, the chief of Britain's National Cyber Security Center, warned that China remains the pacing threat in the cyber realm.
"Cina remains the pacing threat in the cyber realm," Richard Horne, the chief of Britain's National Cyber Security Center, said. "The continued activity that we're seeing come from the Chinese system remains a cause for profound and profuse concern."
Horne described Beijing as an "adversary" and warned that China poses a significant threat to national security, highlighting the ongoing concerns among British officials about hostile activity by China online.
The UK is trying to navigate a thorny policy approach toward Beijing, one aimed at boosting financial sector links between the two nations. However, this approach further complicates the country's stance on China, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to improve economic ties with the nation.
Last year, Bloomberg reported officials' concern that Chinese state actors have made widespread and likely successful efforts to access UK critical infrastructure networks. Additionally, security officials have publicly named China-affiliated groups, including so-called Volt Typhoon, as threats.
Britain has also alleged that China was behind hacks of the Electoral Commission and Members of Parliament. The country's involvement in a recent hack into the personal data of armed forces personnel is another example of the growing threat posed by China.
"Hostile nation states have weaponized their cyber capabilities. And while they might not be using them in pursuit or support of direct conflict, some are operating daily in the 'Grey Zone,' that murky space between peace and war where states and non-state actors engage in competitive activity," Richard Horne said.
Horne added that the NCSC had tracked more than 200 cyber-security incidents since September and seen the number of significant breaches nationally double compared with the same period a year ago.
"It is almost certain that Russia will continue its wider cyber espionage activity against Ukraine and supporting countries to gain strategic advantage in its negotiation strategy," Richard Horne said.
In addition to China, Iran and North Korea also pose ongoing cyber threats, according to Horne. He called on business to increase their resilience against hacks.
UK government officials last month raised private concerns that Chinese-manufactured drones were being used to take high-resolution images of critical national infrastructure sites in the UK.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves also appeared to sharpen the UK's official line against China recently by praising Trump's critique of global trade imbalances.
