The New Zealand government has expressed its concerns about China’s involvement in a cyber hack on the country’s parliament in 2021. The hack, which was uncovered by New Zealand’s intelligence services, targeted parliamentary entities. This revelation comes amidst accusations from Britain and the U.S. about China’s widespread cyber espionage activities. Both New Zealand and Australia have condemned such actions.
According to New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters, foreign interference in democratic institutions is unacceptable. The government has urged China to refrain from such activities in the future. Peters conveyed concerns directly to the Chinese ambassador regarding cyber activities attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese government, not only in New Zealand but also in the United Kingdom.
In response, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand rejected the accusations, stating that they have never interfered in the internal affairs of other countries. They labeled the accusations as groundless and irresponsible, expressing dissatisfaction with New Zealand authorities’ stance.
The New Zealand government’s communications security bureau (GCSB) has identified a Chinese state-sponsored actor known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) as being responsible for the cyber activity targeting New Zealand’s parliamentary services. The GCSB believes APT40, affiliated with China’s Ministry of State Security, gained access to crucial information for the effective operation of New Zealand’s government.
Although nothing sensitive or strategic was removed, the GCSB suspects that APT40 may have taken technical information that could facilitate more intrusive activities. The GCSB reported that in the last financial year, 23% of malicious cyber events involving nationally significant organizations were attributed to state-sponsored actors, including those from Russia.
The United States and Britain have also accused China of cyber espionage, with officials naming the hacking group responsible as Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31). They allege that APT31, linked to China’s Ministry of State Security, targeted individuals, government officials, and companies critical of Beijing, including lawmakers, journalists, and defense contractors.
Australia has joined the condemnation, emphasizing the unacceptable nature of persistent targeting of democratic institutions and processes. In 2019, Australian intelligence attributed a cyber attack on its national parliament and political parties to China, although the government did not officially disclose this information at the time.
These developments underscore growing international concern over state-sponsored cyber activities and highlight the need for concerted efforts to address such threats to democratic institutions and processes.
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