Cybersecurity

Chinese gangs targeted Britain in ‘large-scale espionage operation,’ say cybersecurity experts

UK firms are targets of “serious” cyberattacks from China that seek to steal trade secrets and customers’ personal information, a new report has said.

A China-based cyber gang dubbed APT10 uses custom malware and ‘spear phishing’ techniques to target IT service companies, planning to use them as a proxy for future attacks, security firms have said.

The report, authored by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and cyber units at defense group BAE systems and accountancy firm PwC, has described the attack as “one of the largest ever sustained global espionage campaigns.”

The gang is said to have targeted firms that run IT functions on behalf of large British companies. The group has been active since 2014 but reportedly ramped up its attacks in late 2016.

PwC cybersecurity partner Richard Horne told the Press Association the extent of the malicious campaign is still unclear.