The Czech government has branded China responsible for a malicious cyber campaign against one of the Foreign Ministry’s communication networks, the cabinet announced on its website today.
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky (unaffiliated) added on social media that he had summoned the Chinese ambassador in Prague over the cyberattacks, and had also introduced a new and more secure communication system at the Foreign Ministry.
Chinese Ambassador Feng Biao was summoned to the ministry this morning, where the Czech government’s objections were presented to him by Veronika Stromsikova, the senior director of the ministry’s security and multilateral section, ministry spokesman Daniel Drake told CTK.
“This malicious activity, which lasted from 2022 and hit an institution listed among the Czech critical infrastructure, was carried out by the APT31 cyber espionage group, publicly associated with [China’s] Ministry of State Security intelligence service,” the Foreign Ministry wrote.
The Czech Security Information Service civilian counterintelligence (BIS), the Military Intelligence (VZ), the Office for Foreign Relations and Information civilian intelligence (UZSI) and the National Cyber and Information Security Office (NUKIB) jointly investigated the incident, and identified responsibility for the attack with a high degree of certainty, the ministry said.
NUKIB director Lukas Kintr said that international cooperation was crucial in the Czech response to cyber threats. “The serious and malicious activity we faced in this case fits into a recurring pattern of behaviour by the Chinese actor APT31, which attacked our allies in the past,” Kintr noted on the office’s website. The Czech Republic has shared relevant information with the EU and NATO, as well as with partners in the Indo-Pacific.
The ministry said the government had unequivocally condemned this malicious cyber campaign against its critical infrastructure.
“This action undermines the credibility of the People’s Republic of China and contradicts its public statements,” the ministry noted. “These activities are contrary to the standards of responsible conduct of the states in cyberspace, which all UN states have supported.” It called on China to meet its commitments and principles, refrain from similar attacks and take appropriate measures.
The EU and its member states and NATO allies have expressed solidarity with the Czech Republic in connection with the cyber attack.
“NATO observes with concern the growing pattern of malicious cyber activities stemming from China,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas also said that the EU stood behind the Czech Republic. “This is a clear and unacceptable violation of international norms,” she wrote on social media. “We stand firmly with [the Czech Republic],” she added.
