New Zealand: The government of New Zealand has blamed Chinese state-sponsored hackers for entering their country’s parliament. The allegations come after US and UK authorities accused Beijing of malicious cyber activity.
Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, expressed his displeasure with the cyberattack and conveyed his country’s concerns directly to Beijing.
Foreign Minister said that, “Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and we have urged China to refrain from such activity in future. New Zealand will continue to speak out – consistently and predictably – where we see concerning behaviours like this.”
Peters stated that New Zealand and China carries a ‘significant and complex relationship,’ after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week. “We cooperate with China in some areas for mutual benefit. At the same time, we have also been consistent and clear that we will speak out on issues of concern,” the New Zealand politician added.
According to the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) found that a state-backed hacking group called ‘APT40’ hacked computers connected to the parliamentary network in 2021.
Andrew Clark, Director-General at GCSB, commented that, “The NCSC provided extensive support to the victim organisations to reduce the impact of the compromise and delivered advice to other organisations potentially at risk by association.”
“Analysis of the tactics and techniques used by the actor enabled us to confidently link the actor to a People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored group known as APT40. This link has been reinforced by analysis from international partners of similar events in their own jurisdictions,” Clark added.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand claimed the allegations were ‘groundless and irresponsible.’ “We have never, nor will we in the future, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including New Zealand. Accusing China of foreign interference is completely barking up the wrong tree,” the spokesperson said.
New Zealand accused China of harbouring cybercriminals after the United States and the United Kingdom declared sanctions against a Chinese firm and two individuals for cyber-espionage activities.
Oliver Dowden, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK remarked that the United Kingdom Electoral Commission and parliamentary accounts were targeted by cyberattacks in 2021 and 2022. Three MPs who are members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China were among the affected accounts.
Judith Collins, New Zealand’s Defence Minister, responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau, conveyed that her country joins its international associates in charging China’s state-sponsored malicious cyber activity.
“This collective response from the international community serves as a timely reminder to all organisations and individuals to have strong cybersecurity measures in place,” Collins said.
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