The minister of security of New Zealand announced on Tuesday that a state-controlled operation, believed to be carried out by hackers connected to the Chinese government, targeted the country’s Parliament in 2021.

New Zealand has made a claim, one day following the announcement by American and British authorities of criminal charges and sanctions against seven hackers. These hackers, all residing in China, are accused of targeting U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists, and the U.K.’s election watchdog.

Judith Collins, the minister responsible for New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau, stated that employing cyber-based espionage tactics to disrupt democratic institutions and processes is not acceptable.

Collins reported that the organization had connected a government-supported entity linked to China with harmful cyber operations directed towards governmental organizations in New Zealand.

Collins stated that the National Cyber Security Centre conducted a thorough technical evaluation after the 2021 security breach on the Parliamentary Counsel Office and Parliamentary Service. The Centre has identified the perpetrator as a state-sponsored group called APT40, linked to China.

“Thankfully, in this case, the NCSC collaborated with the affected organizations to restrict the issue and remove the perpetrator soon after gaining access to the network,” she stated.

According to Collins, New Zealand will not imitate the actions of the U.S. and U.K. by imposing sanctions on China. This is because New Zealand does not have a law that permits such punishments and there are no current plans to create one.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, stated that their concerns were communicated to Chinese Ambassador, Wang Xiaolong.

Peters stated on Tuesday that any interference from a foreign country is not tolerated and China has been advised to avoid such actions in the future. He also mentioned that New Zealand will continue to voice its concerns whenever there are troubling behaviors like this.

On March 18, Peters and Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, held a meeting where they discussed the significant and complex relationship between their countries.

He stated that we have a partnership with China in select sectors for the benefit of both parties. Additionally, we have consistently and explicitly stated that we will address any matters of concern.

Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, rejected the accusations as a common tactic of political manipulation, created by the United States and United Kingdom. These countries are currently involved in conflicts over various matters, such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and trade disputes.

According to Lin, during a recent daily briefing, the United States has been pushing for the Five Eyes Alliance, an intelligence organization led by the U.S., to create and spread false information regarding the alleged dangers posed by Chinese hackers. The alliance, made up of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S., is responsible for gathering and exchanging confidential data.

Source: wral.com