Finnish police have reportedly confirmed that APT31, a China-linked hacking group, is the one behind a March 2021 data breach, accusations that echo previous claims by both the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Finnish police originally revealed the data breach in a March 2021 news release, which stated that the organization had initiated a criminal investigation into hacking the country's parliament's computer systems in 2020-2021.
(Photo: ANTTI HAMALAINEN/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images) TOPSHOT - Finnish and Nato flags flutter at the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry in Helsinki, Finland, ahead of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on April 4, 2023.
The suspected offenses under investigation were aggravated espionage, aggravated unauthorized access to an information system, and aggravated violation of the confidentiality of communications.
As per Finland's confirmation, the authorities have already stated that they were investigating the hacker organization APT31's involvement in the event prior to this confirmation, now adding that the investigators have identified one suspect.
This inquiry has revealed a "complex criminal infrastructure," according to National Bureau of Inquiry Detective Chief Inspector Aku Limnéll.
Finland's confirmation follows a series of accusations of China-linked hackers from the US and the UK.
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UK's Alleged China-Backed Cyberattack
The United Kingdom and Britain recently accused China-linked hackers of being the primary culprits of two discovered cyberattacks, one in October 2022 and the other in the summer of 2021.
British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden allegedly said that Chinese state-affiliated groups carried out two malicious cyber attacks on MPs and democratic institutions.
Dowden says the attack on the Electoral Commission, an independent agency in charge of developing standards for how the U.K. elections should be administered, was made by a state actor with ties to China.
According to reports, the attacks took place in 2021 and 2022. Reuters said the breach was made public last year, but Britain has yet to identify the offender.
The Electoral Commission identified the attack in October 2022 but did not make it public until last year. In 2023, the Commission stated that hackers obtained the names and addresses of every British voter registered to vote between 2014 and 2022.
US Sanctions Against Chinese Hackers
The US Treasury Department, on the other hand, sanctioned Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology firm Ltd. after designating it as a front firm for the Chinese Ministry of State Security that served as a cover for several harmful cyberattacks.
The US Treasury also sanctioned two Chinese citizens, Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin, who are linked with the Wuhan firm. They are suspected of launching cyberattacks to disrupt important infrastructure sectors such as defense, aerospace, and energy.
The US Department of Justice also accused Zhao, Ni, and five other hackers of conspiracy to conduct computer intrusion and wire fraud.
The government stated they were part of a 14-year cyber campaign targeting US and overseas opponents, corporations, and political leaders.
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