Is China on a cyberattack rampage?

Concerns over China’s alleged cyberattacks have been raised more and more recently by some Western countries. The United States of America, the United Kingdom and now New Zealand have all expressed concern about what they believe to be an increase of cyber infiltrations coming from China.

The facts

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has accused China of orchestrating cyberattacks on British institutions, aiming to steal sensitive information and gain strategic advantages.

The US has strongly condemned China’s cyber behaviour, pointing fingers at Chinese hackers, citing threats to defense, technology, and healthcare sectors, raising concerns about infrastructure vulnerability and data integrity.

New Zealand has also been targeted by purported cyberattacks from China. According to recent reports, New Zealand’s intelligence agencies have been keeping an eye on an increase in cyber threats coming from China, which has led to requests for increased cybersecurity and vigilance.

China has called claims of a state-sponsored hacking campaign by New Zealand “groundless”. The Asian country also said that the proof presented by the US and the UK is “insufficient.”

The arguments

China has been accused by the US and the UK of being the mastermind of a global cyber espionage spree that has impacted millions of individuals, since 201. It’s alleged that the intention was to intimidate any Beijing opponents and obtain trade secrets by upsetting and dismantling government institutions.

Both countries said hackers associated with the Chinese government as the masterminds of a massive, state-sponsored operation that targeted American officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy campaigners, and the U.K.’s election watchdog. They say the attack was done by hacking group Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT 31), backed by China’s government spy agency.

The American and British authorities announced a series of criminal indictments and fines on Monday.

The US has charged seven Chinese nationals, while the UK sanctioned two officials and one organisation.

The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) of New Zealand previously announced that in 2021, computers connected to the parliamentary network were infiltrated by the state-backed hacking organisation known as “APT40,” according to information uncovered by its National Cyber Security Centre.

Foreign Minister, Winston Peters condemned the alleged attack describing it as “unacceptable”. He said concerns have been conveyed directly to Beijing.

But China denied the accusations stating that it will never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries including New Zealand. The spokesperson for the Chin Embassy in New Zealand added that, “Accusing China of foreign interference is completely barking up the wrong tree”.

“The west has to wake up to the fact that this is a challenge to the very way we live our lives. To our democracy, human rights, freedom of expression, freedom of worship. These are the things we hold dear but we seem reluctant to want to defend those against the others who hold none of those virtues and values and want to take ours from us,” said Iain Duncan Smith, UK Conservative Member of Parliament.

China’s rise as a global giant and increasing aggression in regional and international affairs have heightened fears among Western nations, particularly the United States and its allies.

Experts have warned that cyberattacks connected to Chinese intelligence services are becoming more capable and frequent as they aim to test Western government responses.

Other analysts say that may not be the case. According to them, it could be an issue of whether Western governments have become more eager to accuse China of crimes after years of avoiding upsetting the leaders of the second-largest economy.

Even so, experts say the growing trend is a concern that must be tackled. Reducing the likelihood of cyberattacks and effectively resolving cybersecurity concerns require international cooperation and communication.