Hackers attacked servers of UK's Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense of Great Britain has become a victim of a hacker attack. As a result, there was a mass leakage of data of military personnel. The government does not mention the country that was involved in this attack, but Sky News reports that it is China.

The cyber-attack was carried out on the payment system for current military personnel and some veterans. The result of the attack was the disclosure of information mainly about names and bank details. Despite the attack, all salaries will be paid this month.

Tobias Ellwood, a member of parliament for the Conservative Party and a former military officer, said China "likely looked at financially vulnerable layers of the population thinking they could be coerced in exchange for money."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that it "resolutely opposes all forms of cyber attacks and fights against them" and "rejects the use of this issue for political purposes to discredit other countries."

Defense Minister Grant Shapps will make a statement to the House of Commons and will outline a "multi-point plan" that will include actions to protect the affected military personnel. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense states that consultations and support will be provided to the affected military personnel.

It is noted that the attack was carried out on a contractor's system, which is not connected to the main computer systems of the Ministry of Defense. It has been taken offline, and an investigation has begun to understand the extent of the breach. Investigations have not yet shown that data was stolen.

Government minister Mel Stride said that China is a "defining challenge of the era," and "our eyes are wide open." He did not confirm that China was specifically involved in this breach, but stated that the UK must "strike the right balance" when it comes to Beijing.