The British government confirmed on Friday that its systems were breached in a cyberattack in October, following media reports that sensitive foreign office data may have been accessed during the incident.
Trade minister Chris Bryant acknowledged the intrusion in a series of broadcast interviews, saying investigators were still determining how the breach occurred, what data may have been affected, and who was responsible.
“There certainly has been a hack,” Bryant told Times Radio. However, he cautioned against premature conclusions, adding that officials could not yet confirm whether the incident was linked to Chinese operatives or to the Chinese state.
The confirmation came after the Sun newspaper reported that a group known as Storm 1849 had infiltrated government systems. The paper said the breach may have exposed tens of thousands of visa records linked to the foreign office.
According to the report, Storm 1849 has previously been accused of targeting politicians, institutions, and organizations that are critical of the Chinese government. British authorities have not publicly attributed the attack to any country or group, and no formal accusation has been made.
Bryant said some of the reporting surrounding the incident involved speculation, stressing that the government was still working through the technical evidence.
In a separate interview with Sky News, Bryant sought to downplay concerns about the potential impact on individuals, saying the risk appeared limited based on current assessments.
“We’re fairly confident that there’s a low risk of any individual actually being affected by this,” he said, while noting that investigations were ongoing and subject to change as new information emerges.
A government spokesperson said departments had been working closely with security teams since the incident was detected.
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“We take the security of our systems and data extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said, adding that efforts were under way to understand the scope of the breach and strengthen safeguards where necessary.
The incident comes at a time of growing concern across Europe about cyber intrusions targeting government institutions, diplomatic services, and election infrastructure. UK officials have previously warned that foreign actors are increasingly focused on gathering sensitive political and administrative information.
Authorities have not said whether diplomatic operations were disrupted or whether affected individuals would be notified, and no timeline has been given for the conclusion of the investigation.
