Hacking of US government 'is a warning for Britain'

Hacking of US government 'is a warning for Britain': Cyber experts say UK should be on full alert after Chinese hackers steal data from four million federal staff 

• US officials confirmed they were targeted by hackers earlier this month 
• They blamed China for the attack, but Beijing swiftly rejected the allegation 
• UK should be on alert for a major cyber-assault, security experts said
• Hackers may have already breached Britain's systems, they warned
•  

By KATHERINE RUSHTON, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

 June 2015

The UK should be on the alert for a major assault by cyber-criminals, following a massive breach of the US government’s computer systems, experts warn.

US officials confirmed they had been targeted by hackers, leaving data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Interior Department vulnerable.

They blamed China for the breach, but the Chinese swiftly rejected the allegation as ‘irresponsible and unscientific’.

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The UK should be on the alert for a major assault by cyber-criminals, following a massive breach of the US government’s computer systems, experts warn (file picture)

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Breach: Chinese hackers are believed to have broken into US government computer networks and stolen details of four million federal workers. The attack may even affect intelligence agencies and President Obama

The US hack – which compromised the accounts of four million government employees – should ‘ring alarm bells’ in the UK, said Mark James, a specialist at technology security firm Eset.

Mr James said: ‘You should be thinking: “Who’s next?”

‘Our security systems should be constantly monitored and tested and although we should not put any data on a higher pedestal than any other we need to realistically understand that some data is more desirable.’

Other experts said that hackers could have already breached Britain’s systems.

Roy Duckles, of online security firm Lieberman Software, added: ‘If the US can be breached, in what appears to be a very targeted and specific attack, then there is nothing to say that hackers aren’t already in similar networks in the UK Government.

‘Should the UK Government be concerned? The answer is yes. Don’t forget that friendly nation states often share information both at a domestic and international level and this includes using shared IT practices in many instances.’

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Admission: The Department of Homeland Security said data from the Office of Personnel Management (Washington D.C. headquarters pictured) was compromised at the beginning of the month

Four million people affected by cyber breach

The hackers could use information from government personnel files for financial gain. However, they could also use the data as part of a more elaborate plot to access highly sensitive government.

The cyber-criminals could piece together details from the stolen information to design convincing ‘phishing emails’, encouraging their recipients to click on a link.

In a typical ‘phishing scam’, the link would automatically download software onto the recipients’ computer, which would grant the hacker access and could even corrupt the information stored on there.

The British government is already aware of the threat from hackers. Gavin Millard of Tenable Network Security said the Government already has extra measures in place to protect itself.

‘The UK government has been aware of the risks associated with the huge amounts of data held on employees by themselves and external agencies for some time,’ he said.

‘They have been pushing an approach of reducing the risk of loss.’

Earlier this week, a top official at the GCHQ spy agency warned that the country now faces ‘chronic, advanced and persistent’ cyber-threats every day.

Ciaran Martin, director general for cyber-security, said that cyber-criminals have attacked around 90 per cent of major British companies, costing the UK economy tens of billions of pounds a year.