Following the US and UK, New Zealand also reports "Cyber Attacks by Chinese Hacker Groups"

China Denies Hacking Allegations: "Fake News and Unilateral Sanctions"

Following the United States and the United Kingdom, New Zealand also claimed to have been suspected of cyberattacks by a hacker group linked to the Chinese government.

On the 26th (local time), according to local media, Judith Collins, Minister of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), stated in a press release that "in 2021, the New Zealand Parliamentary Advisory Office and Secretariat were subjected to cyberattacks by a China state-sponsored group known as 'APT40'." The GCSB said that although the hacker group searched through various data, they did not access sensitive or strategic information, and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) suppressed and blocked their activities. "Analysis of the tactics and techniques used by them clearly linked the hackers to China," the statement added.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, "This is the first incident of its kind in New Zealand," and warned "against malicious cyber activities by any country attacking our democratic institutions." Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters conveyed the government's concerns to the Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, stating, "Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and we urged China to refrain from such activities in the future."

New Zealand's announcement came shortly after the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on individuals related to cyberattacks by hacker groups linked to the Chinese government. The day before, the U.S. Department of State identified the so-called 'APT31,' connected to China's Ministry of State Security, as a cyber threat group targeting "U.S. government officials, politicians, election campaign personnel, and various U.S. economic and defense-related organizations and officials."

In response, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted seven individuals, including Ni Gaobin, Wong Ming, and Cheng Feng, on computer fraud charges related to the incident. The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against them and Wuhan Xiaoruize Science & Technology Co., Ltd. for malicious cyber activities targeting critical U.S. infrastructure. The United Kingdom also stated that an unnamed Chinese state-linked hacker group was behind the 2021-2022 hacking of the UK Electoral Commission, accessing copies of millions of voter registers. The group attempted reconnaissance activities against UK parliamentarians critical of China, leading to sanctions against two individuals and one company.

New Zealand did not impose separate sanctions related to this incident. Prime Minister Luxon said, "We have maintained a complex relationship with China for a long time," and added, "We have a very constructive relationship regarding trade development and will continue to do so."

In response, China denied the hacking allegations, calling it an already resolved issue. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Zhen said at a regular briefing that "China previously provided technical explanations and responses regarding the so-called APT40 information raised by the UK, clarifying the lack of evidence provided by the UK and the lack of professionalism in their conclusions." He continued, "Unfortunately, the UK did not respond afterward, and after some time, the U.S., driven by geopolitical purposes, encouraged the world's largest intelligence alliance, the Five Eyes, to fabricate and spread fake news about China's hacking threats." He added, "Now, together with the UK, they are fabricating claims of China's internet attacks and even imposing unjustified unilateral sanctions."