No evidence of data breach as Chinese
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) found no evidence of a data or systems breach after discovering a Chinese-made component in the Royal Navy's new K3 Scout sea drones during a routine cyber vulnerability assessment.
- The drones' cameras sent a "squark" or heartbeat communication to a Chinese IP address, which can indicate system status and potentially carry location data, but no sensitive information was compromised.
- The supplier, Kraken, assured that security measures were in place and expressed confidence that no sensitive information was shared, though the drone camera contained Chinese-made parts from a third-party supplier.
- This incident highlights ongoing challenges in fully eliminating Chinese components from military equipment, despite bans and concerns over espionage within NATO countries.
- The MoD has addressed the security lapse and continues routine testing to identify vulnerabilities, underscoring the difficulty of sourcing China-free materials and technologies in the defense sector.
