According to reports, a significant cyberattack targeted the UK Ministry of Defence, exposing the sensitive details of tens of thousands of armed forces personnel. The breach, believed to have occurred multiple times on a third-party payroll system, prompted the MoD to assess the extent of the hack over three days.
While the Ministry has not confirmed any data theft, it reassured service members about their safety amid the incident. The attack follows earlier attributions of cyberattacks to Chinese ‘state-affiliated actors’ in the UK between 2021 and 2022. In March, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden disclosed sanctions against individuals and a company linked to the Chinese state for alleged malicious cyber activities, including attacks on the Electoral Commission.