The statement comes after similar claims were discovered in the UK.
Wellington:
New Zealand on Tuesday accused “state-sponsored” Chinese hackers of launching a “malicious” cyberattack in 2021 that penetrated sensitive government computer systems.
The country’s counterintelligence agency said a state-backed group known as “APT40” compromised computers connected to its parliamentary network.
The statement came after similar allegations emerged in the UK, which overnight accused Beijing-linked groups of destroying parliamentary accounts.
New Zealand Security Services Minister Judith Collins said they were able to determine the cause of the attack after a “robust technical assessment”.
“These networks contain vital information that allows the New Zealand government to operate effectively,” she said in a statement.
“It is critical that we protect this information from all malicious cyber threats.”
APT40 has previously targeted “government organizations, companies, and universities across a wide range of industries,” according to the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Attributing sophisticated cyberattacks is both technically difficult and politically fraught, and could anger China.
British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said the Chinese ambassador in London would be summoned “to hold China accountable for its actions”, while Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he had raised the issue with Wang Yi.
Wang recently concluded a rare diplomatic trip to New Zealand, where he stressed the need to work side by side with “friends”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
