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China is spying on UK business, warns MI5

People's Liberation Army is conducting wholesale cyber espionage, says head of UK government security service

Tom Young, Computing 30 Nov 2007
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China's People's Liberation Army is conducting a concerted campaign of cyber espionage against UK businesses, the head of MI5 is warning.

Spy chief Jonathan Evans has written to financial, legal and retail firms this morning to warn of the threat and advise companies to undertake a risk assessment of their IT security defences, according to consultancy KPMG.

The letter, which was received by financial, legal, and retail firms this morning warns that companies should do a risk assessment of their IT security defences.

"The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has been monitoring activity from the People's Liberation Army in China," said KPMG principal advisor Martin Jordan, who has seen a copy of the letter.

"The activity has led them to believe that there is a serious and concerted attempt at electronic espionage through every sinew of British industry."

Chinese companies are allegedly looking to make financial gain out of the information.

"If they know that British firms are trying to buy a company or a plot of land in China then they have got room to manoeuvre at the negotiating table because they know what a company is prepared to pay," said Jordan.

Last summer a slew of cyber attacks on Whitehall departments were alleged to have originated in China. Beijing strenuously denied the claim .

See also:

Picture of Tallinn war memorialProblem is getting worse as technology improves methods of attack  29 Nov 2007
image: security120 countries developing ways to attack computer networks  29 Nov 2007
Picture of the Tallinn war memorialIncreasingly co-ordinated assaults are alarming defence ministers  01 Nov 2007
Picture of a hackerMeeting in Netherlands last week follows attacks on Estonia  29 Oct 2007
US warns of People's Republic of China's New Modem Army  29 May 2007
Nato mobilises to deal with online threat  17 May 2007

All Public Sector IT
Tags: Government, Security

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