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“The personal details of military personnel have always been prized information for intelligence-gathering countries not afraid to get their hands dirty. The attack on a significant MoD payroll system is likely Nation-State backed, perpetrated by an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group. Be China, or another suspect altogether, the attack has been carried out with purpose, accessing the outsourced system and finding this way more efficient and successful than a full frontal attack. It is worrying that the MoD became so susceptible through an ‘external contractor’, a sign that their attack surface management and supply chains needs urgent examination. For the APT group responsible, it’s a show of power as to how easy it was to access some of the UK’s most secure data. As with the cyberattack on the royal family website last year, it’s clear Nation-State cyber groups are playing a long game, one of consistent, targeted attacks designed to disrupt our democracy. The MoD will need to reinstall public and private trust in the strength of its cybersecurity fast; it has quashed the threat which will now need to be identified and prevented in the future.”