London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

UK 'must be clear-eyed about Chinese ambition', warns new National Cyber Security Centre chief

UK 'must be clear-eyed about Chinese ambition', warns new National Cyber Security Centre chief

In her inaugural speech the new head of NCSC, Lindy Cameron, said cyber threats facing the UK were growing.
The UK "must be clear-eyed about Chinese ambition in technological advancement", the new head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned.

Lindy Cameron stressed that global incidents such as the hack of Microsoft Exchange email servers, initiated by state-sponsored hackers in China before criminals joined in, "have shown the range of cyber threats we currently face".

Ms Cameron, who was formerly the number two at the Northern Ireland Office, has more than two decades' experience working in national security policy and crisis management.

Delivering her inaugural speech virtually at Queens University Belfast, Ms Cameron said while state-sponsored hackers in China have shown "a particular interest in intellectual property" the UK's predominant concern was "China's future role in technology".

"We have grown up with a largely Western internet, where most of the key hardware was made, most of the intellectual property owned, most of the software was designed, and most of the standards driven by Western values.

"It assumes a level of influence we can no longer assume will protect our national security," she added.

Speaking to journalists she stressed that the UK would need to "think harder about how we engage in international standards bodies" to ensure that consumer products were secure.

China's interest in intellectual property posed a threat to "the fantastic science and technology envisioned in the Integrated Review", Ms Cameron added, which needed to be "protected from theft or acquisition by hostile states".

Earlier this month NCSC warned businesses to urgently update their Microsoft email servers following a hacking campaign.

Microsoft itself warned that multiple groups were taking advantage of a global and indiscriminate hack of its clients' on-premise email servers, with tens of thousands of potential victims worldwide.

Microsoft said the initial state-sponsored group "primarily targets entities in the United States across a number of industry sectors, including infectious disease researchers, law firms, higher education institutions, defence contractors, policy think tanks, and NGOs".

After compromising email servers belonging to these organisations, Microsoft said the attackers created web shells - interfaces which allow them, and potentially criminal actors too, to remotely access the compromised network even after the original vulnerabilities were patched - which is provoking additional concern.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×