A British minister says the UK will "stop at nothing" to protect against cyber attacks amid accusations China targeted the nation's elections watchdog.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The UK government is expected to say Beijing-linked hackers were behind a cyber attack on the Electoral Commission that exposed the personal data of 40 million voters, as well as 43 individuals including MPs and peers.
Efforts to step up pressure on China in response include looking at sanctions on individuals thought to be connected with the alleged activity, according to multiple reports.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is expected to update MPs on the situation later on Monday.
The Electoral Commission attack was identified in October 2022 but the hackers had first been able to access the commission's systems for more than a year, since August 2021.
The registers held at the time of the cyber attack include the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters.
Nuclear minister Andrew Bowie said he could not comment on the speculation about China but told LBC Radio the government had invested greatly in cyber security and increased intelligence powers.
"And we will stop at nothing to ensure that the British people, our democracy, our freedom of speech and our way of life is defended," he said.
Australian Associated Press
