After a series of hacker attacks and data breaches targeting government departments and critical infrastructure, the United Kingdom has identified the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the top threat to national cybersecurity.
Richard Horne, the head of the National Cyber Security Center in the UK, made a rare public and stern criticism of the CCP during a speech on Wednesday, May 7th. He warned that “China (CCP) remains a major threat in the cyber domain. The activities we continue to observe from CCP systems are still deeply concerning.” He referred to Beijing as an “adversary.”
Horne’s public warning, coming from the highest-ranking official in the cybersecurity sector, reflects the increasing cyber hostile activities from the CCP and has raised concerns among officials within the UK government. This comes against the backdrop of Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeking to improve economic and trade relations with Beijing.
Recently, the UK Prime Minister has been trying to strike a balance between Washington and Beijing, aiming to enhance economic and financial ties with the CCP while maintaining relations with US President Trump, despite escalating trade conflicts between the two superpowers. However, the cybersecurity threats from the CCP are complicating the UK’s policies towards China.
Earlier, on May 1st, the UK’s Harrods department store confirmed that hackers had attempted to breach its systems. This incident follows similar publicized hacker attacks on British retailers like Marks & Spencer and the Co-op food stores.
Since Easter, Marks & Spencer in the UK has been impacted by ransomware attacks by hackers, forcing the retailer to temporarily suspend online sales, in-store electronic payments, and recruitment activities.
Similarly, the Co-op food stores in the UK confirmed on April 30th that they had to close parts of their IT systems after detecting attempted intrusions by hackers.
This is not the first time that UK security officials have issued such warnings against the CCP. On May 14, 2024, the head of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) stated that China, along with Russia and Iran, posed threats to the UK, with China’s threat being the most significant.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also acknowledged the threats posed by Russia, Iran, and China (CCP) on May 13th.
During a security meeting, GCHQ’s Anne Keast-Butler responded, “As the Prime Minister said yesterday, the next few years will be the most dangerous. In cyberspace, we believe that China’s irresponsible actions are undermining the cybersecurity of all countries globally.”
Officials from MI5 and MI6 in the UK also expressed similar views at the time. The heads of the UK’s intelligence services had a consensus on the threats posed by authoritarian regimes like China, Russia, and Iran.