Security News > 2024 > March > New Zealand to world: China attacked us, too!

The government of South Pacific island nation New Zealand has revealed that it, too, has been attacked by China.

A Tuesday announcement penned by attorney-general and minister of defence Judith Collins reveals that in 2021 the nation's Government Communications Security Bureau and National Cyber Security Center "Completed a robust technical assessment following a compromise of the Parliamentary Counsel Office and the Parliamentary Service in 2021, and has attributed this activity to a PRC state-sponsored group known as APT40."

The Parliamentary Counsel Office drafts and publishes legislation, while the Parliamentary Service - as you'd imagine - runs the nation's parliament.

Collins described networks at the two agencies as containing "Important information that enables the effective operation of the New Zealand government."

New Zealand's admission it's been on the receiving end came a day after the UK and United States detailed Chinese-supported attacks on government institutions - including the UK's Electoral Register.

Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong and home affairs minister Claire O'Neill joined in a chorus of criticism, expressing "Serious concerns about malicious cyber activities by China state-backed actors targeting UK democratic institutions and parliamentarians."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/26/new_zealand_china_attack/