Thousands of UK Armed Forces Personnel Data Hacked: Suspected Chinese Cyberattack

Delay in payment of expenses for some personnel
Personal information affected includes salaries and expenses
Previous similar breach in 2018 exposed data of around 100,000 soldiers and veterans
Suspected Chinese cyberattack, but no official confirmation yet
Thousands of current and past UK armed forces personnel data hacked from MoD payroll system
Thousands of UK Armed Forces Personnel Data Hacked: Suspected Chinese Cyberattack

In a significant data breach, the personal information of thousands of current and past members of the UK armed forces has been hacked from a third-party payroll system operated by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The affected personnel will be alerted as a precaution and provided with specialist advice to check for any unauthorized use of their information. The MoD discovered the attack several days ago and has been working since then to understand its scale and impact.

The suspected cyberattack is believed to have been carried out by Chinese hackers, according to multiple sources including the BBC, Sky News, and The Guardian. However, neither the MoD nor any government officials have confirmed this allegation.

All salaries were paid at the last payday without issues. There may be a slight delay in the payment of expenses for a small number of cases.

The UK has previously accused China of engaging in malicious cyber-attacks against various targets, including government institutions and political figures. In March 2024, Britain and the US imposed sanctions on several individuals and companies believed to be linked to Chinese hacking groups.

This is not the first time that UK military personnel data has been targeted in a cyberattack. In 2018, a similar breach exposed the personal information of around 100,000 soldiers and veterans. The MoD was heavily criticized for its handling of the incident.

The opposition Labour Party has called on Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to make a statement in the House of Commons regarding this matter. Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey expressed concern over the security of military personnel data and urged the government to take stronger action against China.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • It's unclear if all personnel data was affected or just a subset
  • The MoD has not officially confirmed the allegation of Chinese involvement

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Details of UK military personnel exposed in huge payroll data breach

The Hill News Site: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate-seethe-republicans-call-for-israeli-elections/ Unknown AP Tuesday, 07 May 2024 07:57
  • Unique Points
    • Thousands of serving British soldiers, sailors and air force members have had their names and bank details exposed in a data breach at a payroll system.
    • The suspected cyberattack is believed to have been carried out by Chinese hackers.
  • Accuracy
    • ,
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

90%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

China hacked Ministry of Defence, Sky News learns

Sky News Limited Sam Coates Tuesday, 07 May 2024 09:18
  • Unique Points
    • Chinese state hacked Ministry of Defence
    • Two or three attempts at hacking MoD employees have been made
    • Payroll system with current service personnel and some veterans was targeted
    • Names and bank details have been exposed
  • Accuracy
    • Thousands of serving British soldiers, sailors and air force members have had their names and bank details exposed in a data breach at a payroll system.
    • The attack targeted a third-party payroll system used by the MoD
  • Deception (70%)
    The article contains selective reporting as it only mentions two or three attempts at hacking MoD employees without mentioning any other potential attackers. It also uses emotional manipulation by implying that China is targeting financially vulnerable individuals for coercion. The author also makes a statement about China trying to undermine democracy, but does not provide any evidence or sources for this claim.
    • This comes fewer than two months after China’s state-affiliated actors have been blamed by the government for two ‘malicious’ cyberattack campaigns in the UK.
    • It is largely names and bank details that have been exposed
    • The Chinese state is to be accused of two or three attempts at hacking MoD employees
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (95%)
    The author Sam Coates reports on a data breach at the Ministry of Defence in the UK, which he attributes to China based on information from unnamed sources. He also quotes several MPs and government ministers expressing their concerns about China's actions and its potential motivations. While there is no direct evidence presented in the article that China is responsible for the hack, the repeated assertions by multiple sources that this is the case creates a strong bias in favor of that conclusion.
    • China’s foreign ministry said it ‘firmly opposes and fights all forms of cyber attacks’ and ‘rejects the use of this issue politically to smear other countries’.
      • Government minister Mel Stride told Sky News on Tuesday morning China is ‘an epoch-defining challenge’ and ‘our eyes are wide open’ - quoting the Integrated Review of the UK’s national security and international policy completed in 2021.
        • He would not confirm if China is the country that hacked the MoD but said the UK needs to ‘get the balance right’ when it comes to Beijing.
          • Sky News understands this to be China.
            • The Chinese state has hacked the Ministry of Defence, Sky News understands.
              • Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative MP and former soldier, told Sky News that China ‘was probably looking at the financially vulnerable with a view that they may be coerced in exchange for cash’.
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              99%

              The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
              (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

              A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

              UK armed forces’ personal data hacked in MoD breach

              theguardian.com Article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/13/ pakistan-·coalition-·agrees-to-form-government Tom Ambrose Tuesday, 07 May 2024 08:16
              • Unique Points
                • The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has suffered a significant data breach, resulting in the hacking of personal information of UK military personnel.
                • Affected service personnel will be alerted as a precaution and provided with specialist advice and access to a personal data protection service to check for any unauthorized use of their information.
                • The MoD first discovered the attack several days ago and has been working since then to understand its scale and impact.
              • Accuracy
                • Thousands of serving British soldiers, sailors and air force members have had their names and bank details exposed in a data breach at a payroll system.
                • The suspected cyberattack is believed to have been carried out by Chinese hackers.
                • Names and bank details have been exposed.
              • Deception (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Fallacies (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Bias (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication