According to the Guardian, the IT company targeted by a Chinese hack that accessed the data of hundreds of thousands of Ministry of Defense employees did not report the breach for months.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps informed MPs that Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL) had been compromised and that the possibility of “state involvement” was not ruled out.
Around 270,000 current and former military personnel’s pay records, including their home addresses, were accessed. The government has not publicly named China as the responsible party.
While the Defense Ministry was recently informed of the hack, sources indicate that SSCL, a division of Sopra Steria, discovered the breach in February.
Despite requests for comment, Sopra Steria did not respond.
A Whitehall insider highlighted concerns about SSCL’s slow response in the ongoing investigation into the breach.
It was reported that SSCL won a contract over £500,000 to monitor the MoD’s cyber security, a contract that may now be canceled.
Apart from the compromised salary data, SSCL’s involvement in government cybersecurity contracts, including sensitive and confidential ones, raises further concerns.
The National Cyber Security Center warned about the increasing threat posed by state-sponsored cyber attackers, including those from China and Russia, hiding on critical infrastructure networks.
Amid concerns about transparency, a full security review is underway with an independent audit of SSCL’s operations.
Previously partially owned by the government, SSCL was sold to Sopra Steria last year. Sopra Steria had invested 25% of shares for £82 million.
The hack was detected internally in February, potentially stemming from a successful phishing attack dating back to December 2019.
SSCL and its parent company hold government contracts worth £1.6bn, covering sensitive functions like Home Office recruitment and online exams for officers.
The Chinese embassy denied responsibility for the hack and urged UK officials to stop spreading false information and anti-China sentiments.
Source: www.theguardian.com
