The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was the victim of a significant cyber-attack last October, a government minister has publicly confirmed. The revelation follows media reports alleging a Chinese hacking group was responsible for the security breach.
Minister Urges Caution Amid Speculation
Chris Bryant, a trade minister in Sir Keir Starmer's government, addressed the incident in an interview with Sky News. He stated that while the hack was a serious matter, the risk to "any individual" was assessed as being low. Bryant was keen to temper speculation surrounding the attack's origins.
"It's not entirely clear where this has come from," Bryant stated, directly responding to questions about potential Chinese involvement. He emphasised that investigations into such breaches often take considerable time and urged against jumping to conclusions based on media reports.
Newspaper Report Points to Chinese Cyber Gang
The details of the hack first emerged in a report by The Sun newspaper on Friday. The publication named Storm 1849 as the Chinese cyber gang believed to be behind the attack. This group has previously been accused of targeting politicians and critics of the Chinese government.
The Sun's report suggested the breach may have compromised tens of thousands of visa application details, though this has not been officially confirmed by the government. A government spokesperson told the Guardian: "We have been working to investigate a cyber incident. We take the security of our systems and data extremely seriously."
Technical Issue Quickly Contained
Minister Bryant provided some technical context, explaining that the breach stemmed from a "technical issue in one of our sites." He assured the public that the vulnerability was sealed "very quickly" after its discovery and that authorities are "on top of it."
Bryant contextualised the FCDO incident alongside other high-profile UK cyber-attacks, mentioning those targeting Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, and the British Library. "All of these are really important things for us to tackle and be aware of and prevent wherever possible," he added, highlighting the ongoing challenge of digital security.
The confirmation of this attack on a key government department underscores the persistent threat of state-sponsored and criminal cyber activity facing the UK. While the immediate technical flaw has been addressed, the longer-term investigation into the perpetrators and the full extent of the data exposure continues.
