China 'Stole Vast Amounts' of Classified UK Documents, Officials Say (thetimes.com)
- Reference: 0179803126
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/10/15/2254230/china-stole-vast-amounts-of-classified-uk-documents-officials-say
- Source link: https://www.thetimes.com/article/a0e5efa9-07cb-4bc2-8b45-4d45d808182a?shareToken=366ae8f7da172d0a8e3d34ad054aa436
> Dominic Cummings, who served as a senior adviser to Boris Johnson, said that he and the then prime minister were informed about the breach in 2020 but that there had subsequently been a cover-up. He said he was warned at the time that disclosing some specific details of the breach would be a criminal offence. He claimed that the breach included some "Strap" material, which is the government term for the highest level of classified information.
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> The breach, which was confirmed by two other senior Whitehall sources, was said to have been connected to a Chinese-owned company involved in Britain's critical national infrastructure. Tom Tugendhat, a former Tory security minister, supported Cummings's account. Cummings said that he and Johnson were informed of the breach in the "bunker" of No 10 -- a reference to the secure room in Downing Street.
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> He told The Times: "The cabinet secretary said, 'We have to explain something; there's been a serious problem', and he talked through what this was. "And it was so bizarre that, not just Boris, a few people in the room were looking around like this -- 'Am I somehow misunderstanding what he's saying? Because it sounds f***ing crazy.'" He added: "What I'm saying is that some Strap stuff was compromised and vast amounts of data classified as extremely secret and extremely dangerous for any foreign entity to control was compromised. "Material from intelligence services. Material from the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. Things the government has to keep secret. If they're not secret, then there are very, very serious implications for it."
[1] https://www.cityam.com/china-stole-vast-amounts-of-classified-uk-documents/
Astounding incompetence (Score:2)
It's like they're giving this stuff away, and they expect foreign countries to refuse it and look the other way. ...and we are expected to trust them with a national ID and the implications that has?
Still, there's been a lot of anti-China FUD about lately, so perhaps they're just trying to distract us from something else...
I'd like them to apply the same criteria that they use to judge whether China is a threat, or not, to countries like the USA, and label them similarly.
Look on the Bright Side (Score:2)
By Dominic's Cummings own admission revealing this secret is a criminal offence which we can hope will be treated a bit more seriously than driving all the way to Barnard Castle during the pandemic lock down.
Re: Astounding incompetence (Score:2)
Pressure on China recently has, in my opinion, been about the Ukraine war. We see the same playbook as India- tarrifs and screwing with visas and just today India says they will stop buying Russian oil. It's a costly move for India in the short term but they understand it's the right thing to do and prefer to play well with other countries. China is the last large-volume buyer of Russian oil left but they are too proud to be seen as folding to external pressure and their propaganda ministry has been followi
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. Almost as incompetent as Microsoft (for example [1]https://www.cisa.gov/sites/def... [cisa.gov]).
If this is the best the west can do to secure its secrets, then it is doomed.
[1] https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/CSRBReviewOfTheSummer2023MEOIntrusion508.pdf
So the UK has crappy IT security (Score:2)
And needs years to find out they have gotten compromised. Yep, that sounds like China's fault.
"Officials" (Score:3)
Dominic Cummings is not, and never has been, an "official". He was a special advisor to the Buffoon in Chief during his premiership. He was never a civil servant nor elected as a minister and as Mr. Moore points out above is best known for breaking COVID lockdown rules and giving the most absolutely fucking incredible* explanation I've ever heard. Well, that and being responsible for the first use of the word "cunt" in a select committee hearing that I know of.
* The traditional sense of the word. In fact it was sort of meta-incredible; not only was his excuse (that he drove a hundred miles to check his eyesight ) hard to believe, it's also beggars belief that he expected anyone to fall for it.
No big deal (Score:1)
The UK Government have said that [1]China is not an enemy [reuters.com]. No harm sharing classified data among friends.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-government-says-it-was-not-blame-collapse-china-spy-trial-2025-10-06/