UK Foreign Office Hacked in October, Low Risk to Individuals Says Minister
December 19, 2025
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was hacked in October, said trade minister Chris Bryant. Bryant told Sky News the risk to any individual from the attack is low. On Friday, a report by the Sun named a Chinese hacker group, Storm 1849, as behind the attack. However, Bryant said it was “not clear” who carried out the hack and warned against speculation. "There certainly has been a hack at the FCDO and we’ve been aware of that since October," Bryant said. He compared this to earlier hacks at Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, and the British Library. "Some of the reporting has, I think, been a bit more speculation than accurate," he added. Bryant explained the government quickly fixed the technical flaw that allowed the hack. He stressed that the risk to individuals is low and called unfounded fears “scaremongering.” When asked if China was responsible, Bryant replied: "That’s not entirely clear." The Sun said Storm 1849 allegedly targeted visa data and politicians critical of China. A government spokesperson told The Guardian they are investigating the incident and take data security very seriously.
Read More at Theguardian →
Tags:
Uk Foreign Office
Cyber attack
China
Cybersecurity
Data breach
Storm 1849
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