Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – After the Czech Republic identified China as the culprit behind a harmful cyber attack on the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union has shown support country.
In recent years, EU member states have increasingly faced cyber attacks from China, and the EU has urged Beijing to take further action to prevent them.
According to reports, the cyberattack on the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a prolonged and sophisticated espionage campaign that began in 2022. It targeted an unclassified communication network within the ministry, allowing hackers to read thousands of unclassified emails exchanged between Czech embassies and EU institutions.
How has the EU responded to Czechia’s accusations?
“Th EU and its Member nations, in partnership with international allies, express solidarity with Czechia in response to the malicious cyber campaign aimed at its Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” expressed European foreign top diplomat Kaja Kallas in a comment.
She stated that the European Union condemned these attacks, which she argued were against internationally established norms for how states should function in cyberspace.
“We urge all nations, China included, to avoid such actions behaviour,”
Kallas stated.
“Countries should not allow their environment to be manipulated for harmful cyber actions.”
She said the European Union was prepared to take additional steps, if necessary, to prevent, discourage, or address negative conduct in cyberspace.
How did China allegedly breach Czech government networks?
The Czech Republic has officially blamed China for a “malicious cyber campaign” targeting an unclassified communication network within its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The cyberattacks, attributed to the China-linked hacker group APT31, have been ongoing since 2022 and were aimed at critical government infrastructure. The Czech government called upon the Beijing ambassador to formally denounce the attacks and cautioned of significant consequences for their bilateral connections.
The Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stated that following the detection of the attack, the ministry implemented a new, more secure communication system. The Czech government also accused Beijing of interrupting Czech society via disinformation, false information, and cyberattacks.
