SUNDAY Government departments and retailers focused by China-linked cyber group
Silver Dragon has already successfully hijacked firms in Europe and Asia, and now experts fear an attack in the UK is “inevitable”
Experts say Silver Dragon poses an “advanced and persistent threat.”(Image: Getty Images)
UK government departments and retailers are being targeted by a highly sophisticated cybercrime gang called Silver Dragon, the Mirror can reveal.
Experts say the group, which has already hijacked firms in Europe and Asia, is likely financed by the Chinese government and poses an “advanced and persistent threat.” Last night Graeme Stewart of cybersecurity firm Checkpoint Research, which is closely monitoring its activity, warned an attack here is “inevitable.”
Silver Dragon sends targets extremely convincing and personal emails claiming to hold urgent information. If you click into the message, the hackers take pictures of your screen and install ransomware, which completely locks down the computer and makes it unusable. They then demand large sums of money to remove the blocks and controls.
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Silver Dragon has tried to infiltrate UK government departments and major retailers, but there is no suggestion they have been successful. The government and many companies use software that blocks suspicious emails before they land in employees’ inboxes.
But Stewart urged the government and companies to stay vigilant. “It’s an arms race – these groups are getting more clever, so we need to get more clever,” he said. “Make sure your defences are up to date. Cyber security needs to be treated like health and safety – we all know where fire exits are so we all need to be trained in how to spot these things. Because it only takes one and you’re in serious serious trouble.”
Our revelation comes hours after the government’s cyber security breach survey revealed over 43 per cent of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year. It found many companies are not adequately equipped to fend off breaches and said phishing emails, like the ones sent by Silver Dragon, are the most prevalent.
Cyber attacks have caused havoc in the UK in recent years. Last week, it emerged half a million participants in the UK Biobank project had had their health data put up for sale on Chinese-owned site Alibaba. Last year, hackers allegedly stole tens of thousands of confidential files, including visa-related personal data, from the UK foreign office.
The Electoral Commission, which holds data for millions of UK voters, and the Ministry of Defence ’s payroll department, also allegedly fell victim. And retailers including M&S, the Co-Op, Harrods and Dior have also been hit. In some cases, customer’s personal data – including emails and addresses – was stolen. M&S reportedly lost more than £300 million.
The government was approached for comment.
