Vatican Networks Infiltrated by Chinese Hackers, Says US Cyber-Security Firm

US cyber-security firm Recorded Future said that the hackers targeted the Vatican and the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong.

Vatican Networks Infiltrated by Chinese Hackers, Says US Cyber-Security Firm

Photo Credit: Reuters

A surveillance camera is seen near a religious painting during a mass at Xishiku Cathedral in Beijing

Highlights
  • US cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said the attacks started in May
  • A Vatican spokesperson had no immediate comment
  • A Chinese delegation had been due to visit the Vatican
Advertisement

Hackers linked to the Chinese government have infiltrated Vatican computer networks, including the Roman Catholic Church's Hong Kong-based representative, a US firm that tracks state-backed cyber-attacks said on Wednesday .

It said the attacks began in May. The Vatican and Beijing were expected to engage in talks this year over the renewal of a landmark 2018 deal that stabilised relations between China and the Church.

US cyber-security firm Recorded Future said in the report that the attacks targeted the Vatican and the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong, including the head of the Hong Kong Study Mission, who is seen as Pope Francis' de facto representative to China.

The report said the targets included communications between the Hong Kong diocese and the Vatican and used similar tools and methods previously identified with Chinese state-backed hacking groups.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Beijing routinely denies it engages in any state-backed hacking attempts, and says it is a victim of such threats.

A Vatican spokesperson had no immediate comment. The Hong Kong Study Mission did not respond to a request for comment.

The reported hacking follows an extremely rare meeting between Beijing and the Vatican's foreign minister in Germany earlier this year, marking the highest-level official encounter between the two sides in decades.

Relations between the two have been improving and they have been expected to renew the provisional two-year deal on the operation of the Catholic Church in China this September.

A Chinese delegation had been due to visit the Vatican as part of continuing talks but there was no indication if or when they would travel because of the coronavirus outbreak, a senior Vatican source has said.

The source, who spoke to Reuters before the hacking report, said it was still not clear if the deal would be automatically extended because of the pandemic and for how long.

© Thomson Reuters 2020


Is Redmi Note 9 the perfect successor to Redmi Note 8? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Microsoft Family Safety App Launched for Android and iOS: Now Monitor and Manage Your Family’s Screen Time
Google AR Search Reportedly Adds 23 New Insects, Context Link Spotted in Google News
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »