IT Security: Direct line between Beijing and London

High-ranking representatives of the security apparatuses of the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom will henceforth exchange information regarding IT security infiltration. For this purpose, they have established a so-called cyber dialogue as a basis for non-public discourse. The background is ongoing IT attacks and espionage operations.

Officially, there is no mention of the Cyber Dialogue. However, insiders have unofficially told the news service Bloomberg about it. The goal is to improve communication between security officials so that they can secretly exchange information on defensive measures. No one expects the spies to cease their crimes and adhere to applicable law from now on. The goal is rather to avoid escalations.

This is the first communication mechanism of its kind between the two states, and likely between China and any other country at all. Previously, relevant contacts have often been difficult. The exchange is now to take place formally at a high level. In parallel, the United Kingdom approved the construction of a new, unusually large Chinese embassy in London on Thursday, complete with secret chambers for secret purposes.

Chinese do a thorough job

Since taking office a year and a half ago, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been seeking to improve relations. Ongoing attacks attributed to China on British infrastructure and government ICT make this difficult. The successes of British IT spies in China are not known. At the end of the month, Starmer is expected to visit Beijing.

In October, Bloomberg reported that Chinese spies had been reading classified British IT systems for a decade. Furthermore, the compromise of critical infrastructure by Chinese attackers is significantly worse than the British authorities have publicly admitted so far.

Read also

Reuters: Many Western security providers no longer welcome in China

(ds)