British Ministry of Defense was hacked and important information was leaked

Britain’s Ministry of Defense has been hit by a major data breach, resulting in the unauthorized access of personal information of UK military personnel.

The ministry’s servers were infiltrated by hackers, who obtained data on officials and current service personnel, with British media suggesting that the cyber attack was carried out by China.

Hackers successfully infiltrated payroll systems, compromising the personal information of ministry officials, current service personnel, and veterans. The breached data included their names and bank details, Sky News reported, claiming that China-affiliated individuals were behind the cyber attack.

“The government will not name the country involved, but Sky News understands this to be China,” read the Sky News report.

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.”

In reaction, 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.”