“China is trying to undermine our resilience and democracy,” the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
The Czech Republic said on May 28 that a cyberattack on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ uncategorized network was carried out by Chinese national hackers.
Czech authorities accused APT31, a hacking group related to China’s Ministry of National Security, of running a cyberspion campaign since 2022, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website. The attack also affected unspecified institutions considered by the government as critical infrastructure, according to the statement.
“China is trying to undermine our resilience and democracy,” the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on social media platform X.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in another X post that he summoned the Chinese ambassador to the country’s bilateral relations “to make it clear that such hostile actions will have serious consequences.”
He said that following the Ministry’s violations, a new communication system was introduced with enhanced security measures.
APT31, or Advanced Persistent Threat 31, is a collection of intelligence agents, contract hackers and support staff sponsored by the Chinese state that “will carry out malicious cyber operations” on behalf of China’s Hubei Department of National Security, according to the US Treasury Department.
US officials are denounced by hacking groups participating in a 14-year cyberspion campaign targeting foreigners, academics, journalists and businesses.
On March 25, 2024, the US and the UK responded by imposing sanctions on Chinese-based companies and individuals linked to the APT31 hacking group.
As part of a coordinated effort, the US Department of Justice issued charges on the same day against seven Chinese citizens for cyberspion activities. U.S. victims included senior White House officials, Congressional members, and officials from the Judicial, Commercial, Treasury and state departments, according to federal prosecutors.
The hacking group also sacrificed “all European Union members” of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on China, an alliance of Democrat countries’ lawmakers focused on building a coordinated response to the challenges raised by the Communist Party, court documents show.
reaction
The invasion of Czech infrastructure by Chinese national actors is on alert to the European Union and NATO.
EU foreign policy director Kaja Kallas said in a statement on May 28 that EU member states have experienced an increase in malicious cyber activity that has emerged from China in recent years.
Karas expressed strong condemnation of malicious cyber activity and said he opposed the “UN Framework of Responsible National Action in Cyberspace.”
“We ask all states, including China, to refrain from such actions, respect international law and to adhere to UN norms and principles, including those relating to critical infrastructure,” Karas said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Latte also expressed solidarity with the Czech Republic, and the alliance issued another statement.
“Cyberthreat officials are trying to destabilise the alliance,” NATO said. “We are committed to expose and counteracting substantial, continuous and increasing cyber threats, including democratic systems and critical infrastructure.”
