In an official statement published on Wednesday 28 May, the European Commission expressed its support for the Czech Republic, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs was targeted by a cyber attack attributed to the APT31 group, linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
“In 2021, we urged Chinese authorities to take action against malicious cyber activities undertaken from their territory. Since then, several Member States have attributed similar activities at their national level. We have repeatedly raised our concerns during bilateral engagements and we will continue to do so in the future”, deplored the Commission.
The Commission states that it is “ready” to take additional measures to prevent, deter or respond to potential future cyber attacks against other member countries.
This incident takes place against a more global backdrop of an upsurge in cyber attacks, with growing concerns about cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructures and government institutions in several EU Member States, often attributed to China or Russia. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)