The European Union has expressed its unwavering support for the Czech Republic in light of a recently identified “malicious cyber campaign” that targeted the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas remarked, “The European Union and its Member States, alongside our international partners, stand resolutely with Czechia against the malicious cyber campaign that hit its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
In recent years, EU member states have increasingly fallen victim to cyberattacks linked to China, prompting calls for stronger preventative measures. The European Union emphasized that it expects China to take more proactive steps to combat these threats.
Ms. Kallas firmly condemned these attacks, stating, “Such actions contradict the internationally agreed norms governing state behavior in cyberspace.”
She further noted that the EU is prepared to take additional actions as necessary to deter or respond to malicious activities online.
In the wake of the cyberattack, the Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic has been summoned for discussion. Czech officials are taking this matter seriously.
The Czech Foreign Ministry announced that a thorough investigation revealed a “high degree of certainty” linking the attack to a Chinese-affiliated group known as APT31. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky took to social media platform X to say, “I summoned the Chinese ambassador to make it clear that such hostile actions have serious consequences for our bilateral relations.”
The ministry explained that this attack, which began in 2022, specifically targeted “one of the unclassified networks” within the ministry.
According to the investigation, “The malicious activity… was perpetrated by the cyberespionage actor APT31, which is publicly associated with the (Chinese) Ministry of State Security.” In light of these findings, the Czech Ministry called on China to refrains from such actions and to implement appropriate measures to address this situation.
Minister Lipavsky highlighted that the attackers were detected during the intrusion, underscoring the proactive stance of the Czech cybersecurity framework. Furthermore, the Czech Security Information Office (BIS) identified China as a significant threat to national security in its 2024 annual report, stating, “The Chinese embassy logically focuses on gathering information about the Czech political scene.”
This series of events underscores the importance of cybersecurity and international cooperation in facing the challenges posed by malicious cyber activities.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
