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A UK government official announced on Friday that an investigation is ongoing following a data breach at Britain’s Foreign Office in October. Trade Minister Chris Bryant confirmed that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) was targeted, but downplayed reports linking Chinese hackers to the attack.
This breach occurred after it was revealed in July that a Ministry of Defence employee accidentally exposed a document with the names and details of nearly 19,000 Afghans seeking relocation to the UK. Sensitive information of over 100 Britons, including intelligence operatives and special forces members, was also compromised.
Bryant characterized the recent incident as “relatively low risk” and stated, “We’ve been investigating since October and have addressed the issue.” A report by The Sun indicated that a cybercriminal group called Storm-1849, accused of targeting critics of Beijing, might have been behind the breach.
When asked if Chinese involvement could be ruled out, Bryant responded that he did not know. A government spokesperson emphasized that authorities are actively examining the incident and that they take the security of their systems and data very seriously.
Cybercriminal groups have historically attacked UK institutions such as hospitals, postal services, luxury brands, and retailers.
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