The cyberattack affected millions of people: US, UK accuse China of spying

On Monday, representatives of the United States and Britain accused and imposed sanctions on China over a large-scale cyber espionage campaign that allegedly affected millions of users.

Here's What We Know

The countries blamed the Advanced Persistent Threat 3 hacker group, known as APT31, and identified it as a division of the Chinese Ministry of State Security. The official list of targets included White House staffers, US senators, British MPs and government officials around the world who have expressed criticism of Beijing.

According to US officials, known victims include dissidents and a number of US companies, including steel, energy and textile companies. The targets also included leading providers of mobile technology and 5G wireless networks.

The global hacking operation, according to US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, was aimed at "suppressing critics of the Chinese regime, compromising government agencies, and stealing trade secrets".

In an indictment against seven alleged Chinese hackers, US prosecutors said in court that the hacking led to the breach of work accounts, personal emails and other confidential data of millions of Americans. The hacking of British lawmakers and elected officials was also reported.

China's diplomats in London and Washington deny the allegations as groundless. The Chinese Embassy in London considers the accusations to be "completely made up and malicious accusations".

Finally, both countries have imposed sanctions on the Chinese company Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology, which they say is responsible for the hacking attacks at the Ministry of State Security.

Source: Reuters