The UK government is set to accuse China of stealing UK voter data in an attack that took place in August 2021.

The Electoral Commission (EC) suffered a breach after “hostile actors” stole copies of electoral registers. The EC states that the attack had no effect on elections or individuals’ electoral registration status.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is expected to lay the blame squarely on Beijing-backed when he addresses Parliament, according to BBC News.

Attacks and interference expected to increase as election looms

In Downden’s address to parliament, the deputy prime minister is expected to link the EC attack to a wider threat perpetrated by state-backed groups.

According to the BBC, other western nations are also set to lay out their concerns. German politicians recently suffered a number of high profile phishing attacks linked to Russian-sponsored groups.

“Stop spreading false information and take a responsible attitude to jointly maintain peace and security in cyberspace,” was the response from Lin Jian, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, as he addressed the potential involvement of Beijing further stating that the government does not tolerate malicious cyber activities.

A number of members of Parliament have been targeted in China-linked cyber attacks are members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China – a body that regularly criticizes the policies and activities of China.

The UK is expected to hold a general election in the second half of 2024, and there is trepidation that malicious actors could seek to influence or disrupt the outcome through misinformation campaigns and cyber attacks.

Several key public institutions, including the MoD, have critical cybersecurity flaws and are increasingly ineffective in responding to breaches and vulnerability exploitation.

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