LONDON: Chinese hackers have been attacking key British government computer networks, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Chinese attackers have launched online assaults against the network at Britain's Parliament and the Foreign Office, The Guardian said, citing unnamed government officials. It added that some of the hackers were believed to be from the Chinese military, without citing sources.
The British government refused to comment on the claim. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence referred questions to the Foreign Office, and a spokesman there said he would not comment on security matters.
``We're just not getting into it,'' the spokesman said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
China's embassy in London could not be reached for comment late on Tuesday.
The report marks the third time in two weeks that China's military has been accused of hacking into foreign governments' computers.
The Financial Times said on Tuesday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army hacked into a computer system in the office of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates in June, citing unnamed officials. The attack forced officials to take down the network for more than a week, the paper said.
On the eve of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Beijing last month, the weekly Der Spiegel said computers at the Chancellery and three ministries had been infected with so-called Trojans, or spy programs.
The report, which did not specify its sources, said Germany's domestic intelligence agency believed a group of hackers associated with the People's Liberation Army might have been behind the alleged hacking.
China called the accusations groundless, adding that it stood ready to strengthen its cooperation with other countries to counter Internet crime.
The Pentagon warned earlier this year that China's army is emphasizing hacking as an offensive weapon. It cited Chinese military exercises in 2005 that included hacking ``primarily in first strikes against enemy networks.''
A news agency reported in July that the US State Department was trying to recover from large-scale network break-ins affecting operations worldwide. The hackers appeared to target the department headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, it was reported.
However, experts have said China is home to a large number of insecure computers and networks that hackers in other countries could use to disguise their locations and launch attacks.
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