Chinese hacking row escalates

The row over hacking attacks that appear to come from the Chinese People's Liberation Army has widened after British officials claimed that UK systems have been hacked.

Computers in the Foreign Office and other government departments were taken offline after an attack that appeared to come from China, according to reports in The Guardian. One expert described it as a "constant ongoing problem".

Andrew MacKinlay, a Labour member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, has gone on record as saying that the attacks came from China and has accused the government of covering up the scale of the problem.

"I am frustrated. This is clearly an area where the government has decided not to comment. My questions were clearly unwelcome," he stated.

"This is happening against a backdrop where, on a whole range of foreign policy issues, the British government is very weak. They seek to appease the Chinese. They should be more robust and indignant."

The MP found that the National Infrastructure Coordination Centre had warned of the attacks in 2005 and described the scale as "industrial". A similar attack took down internal House of Commons systems last year.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said in a statement: "This is extremely serious and would be even more so if the Chinese military was involved. It could affect the security and privacy of every British citizen."

The news comes as more countries point to increasingly militant Chinese hackers. The US and Germany have complained of attacks by China against government systems.