China in the spotlight for cyberattack on Foreign Office
19/12/2025 | Financial Times
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed it was targeted by a significant cyberattack in October. The incident, believed to have been carried out by Chinese hackers, aimed to access tens of thousands of sensitive files, sparking concerns regarding the security of government data. Trade Minister Chris Bryant acknowledged the hack without speculating on the responsible parties.
Although the Sun newspaper identified Storm 1849, linked to the Chinese government, as the group responsible, officials stated that this has not been independently verified. The FCDO is actively investigating the incident and stressed its commitment to data security. Speaking to Sky News, Bryant said there was minimal risk to individuals from this attack and urged against speculation about the attackers, which he deemed unhelpful.
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