Big theft by China, spying on associates of three former Prime Ministers of Britain (Photo-X)
Digital Desk, New Delhi. A big revelation has come to light regarding the breach in the British government. State-sponsored hackers linked to China targeted the mobile phones of senior Downing Street officials from 2021 to 2024, The Telegraph reports. These included the closest aides to former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
This espionage campaign, known as 'Salt Typhoon', is believed to be part of China's infiltration of telecommunications networks globally. According to US intelligence agencies, this operation is still active, increasing the threat to current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his team.
A source told The Telegraph that the hacking had reached "to the heart of Downing Street". Although it is unclear whether the personal phones of the Prime Ministers were also affected, several separate attacks allowed access to sensitive communications and data.
America was the first to reveal this campaign, in which China was accused of breaking into telecom companies around the world. The FBI had warned that this could allow Chinese intelligence agencies to monitor the calls, messages and activities of targets.
The revelations come as Sir Keir Starmer is due to visit China this week – the first such visit by a British prime minister since 2018. They aim to strengthen trade and investment ties with Beijing.
Critics say that the government is adopting a 'soft' stance with China, while recently the largest Chinese embassy in Europe was approved in London. Security experts have warned that the embassy could increase the risk of espionage over fiber-optic cables running beneath the Financial District, and could lead to the presence of more Chinese spies.
The Chinese Embassy has rejected these allegations and said that the embassy's plan is in accordance with the laws. The British government has not yet made any official comment on the hacking report, but sources say that security measures are being strengthened.
The incident is said to be part of China's alleged spying campaign on members of the Five Eyes alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand), which poses a serious challenge to global cyber security.
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