China has “hacked” the UK Ministry of Defence, according to reports.
MPs will be told of the data breach on Tuesday, as an investigation continues into the cyber attack – which saw two or three attempts at hacking departmental employees.
The government will not name the country involved, but sources suggest that it was carried out by China, Sky News reports.
Bank details and names of employees on the payroll were reportedly exposed – including veterans, officials and current service personnel. However it is not believed to have an impact on salaries being paid.
The MoD says service personnel will be supported following the hack. They will be offered support and advice about the “hack” tomorrow.
The payroll system, from a contractor, is not believed to be connected to the main MoD computer network. It has been taken offline while an investigation has been launched.
Over the last 72 hours, the MoD is said to have been working at speed to understand the full scale of the incident.
It is expected to raise questions over whether other countries with a difficult relationship with China would want to share intelligence with the United Kingdom.
It comes just months after Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed “state-affiliated actors” connected to China carried out two cyberattacks in the UK.
In a speech in the House of Commons, Dowden revealed one attack was on the Electoral Commission and the other was said to be against China-sceptic MPs.
Express Online has contacted the MoD for a comment.