Czech Republic Accuses China of 'Malicious Cyber Campaign' Against Foreign Ministry

The Czech Republic has accused China of being "responsible" for a series of cyberattacks against its Foreign Ministry, officials said on Wednesday, May 28. The allegations come at a time when tensions between the two countries have been escalating in recent years.

The Foreign Ministry in Prague claimed that the malicious activities started in 2022 and targeted the country's critical infrastructure, including communication networks and government systems. According to the ministry, the attacks were carried out by a group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31), which is associated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

However, it was not immediately clear what specific information were seized or what damage was caused by the attacks. The Czech ministry said that a new communication system has already been put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"The government of the Czech Republic strongly condemns this malicious cyber campaign against its critical infrastructure," Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated in a separate statement. "Such behavior undermines the credibility of the People's Republic of China and contradicts its public declarations."

Czech Ministry Seeks Explanation from Beijing

Lipavský also summoned China's ambassador to Prague to make it clear to Beijing that such activities have serious impacts on mutual relations. The Czech ministry demanded an explanation for the attacks, which they described as "groundless" by the Chinese Embassy.

"China fights all forms of cyber attacks and does not support, promote or tolerate hacker attacks," said the Chinese Embassy in response to the allegations. However, their statement was met with skepticism by many experts, who believe that China's actions may be more sinister than they are letting on.

Global Response

The United States denounced the Chinese activities and called on China to stop them immediately. According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Prague, APT31 has previously targeted U.S. politicians, foreign policy experts, and others.

"APT31 has also stolen trade secrets and intellectual property, and targeted entities in some of America's most vital critical infrastructure sectors, including the Defense Industrial Base, information technology, and energy sectors," said the embassy.

NATO and the European Union also condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the Czechs. "We observe with increasing concern the growing pattern of malicious cyber activities stemming from the People's Republic of China," NATO said. "This attack is an unacceptable breach of international norms."

Recalling Past Incidents

The Czech ministry recalled a similar incident in 2017, when the email account of then-Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek and the accounts of dozens of ministry officials were successfully hacked.

"The attack was sophisticated, and experts believed it was done by a foreign state, which was not named then," said officials. The incident highlights the ongoing threat of cyberattacks against governments around the world.