MoD hack: China ‘cyberattack’ sees UK military data accessed – live

It is understood that initial investigations have found no evidence that data has been removed from the third-party payroll database.

But affected service personnel will be alerted as a precaution and provided with specialist advice. They will be able to use a personal data protection service to check whether their information is being used or an attempt is being made to use it.

All salaries were paid at the last payday, with no issues expected at the next one at the end of this month, although there may be a slight delay in the payment of expenses in a small number of cases.

Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has said the targeting of a third-party payroll system used by the Ministry of Defence has all the hallmarks of a Chinese cyber attack.

The ex-soldier and former Commons defence committee chair told BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: “Targeting the names of the payroll system and service personnel’s bank details, this does point to China because it can be as part of a plan, a strategy to see who might be coerced.”

Mr Ellwood said China had been caught out trying to gain information from RAF pilots in the past.

China as appeared to deny reports claiming it was behind a cyberattack on Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

In a statement, China’s foreign ministry said: “China firmly opposes and fights all forms of cyberattacks. China also rejects use of this politically to smear other countries.”

The government’s work and pensions minister Mel Stride said the database allegedly targeted in the attack, which was managed by an external contractor, had been taken offline quickly and that more information on the attack would be provided soon.

“The MoD has acted very swiftly to take this database offline. It’s a third-party database and certainly not one run directly by the MoD,” he told Sky News.

A massive Chinese cyberattack targeted the UK’s Ministry of Defence in a breach revealing the details of armed forces personnel, according to reports.

The attack, believed to have been done two or three times, was on a third-party payroll system including the details of tens of thousands of British armed forces and veterans.

The MoD has been working over the last three days to understand the scale of the hack, after it was recently discovered, Sky News reported. The Ministry of Defence was approached for comment.

It is not believed any data was taken and the MoD urged service people not to be concerned for their safety. MPs will be told about the attack on Tuesday.

My colleague Alexander Butler has more in this report: