China cyber-attacks explained: who is behind the hacking operation against the US and UK?

Chinese hacking group APT 31 has been accused by UK and US officials of targeting critics of Beijing, while New Zealand's systems have also been attacked

The US and UK have imposed sanctions on individuals and groups that they say targeted politicians, journalists and critics of Beijing in an extensive cyber espionage campaign - allegedly operated by an arm of China's ministry of state security.

The scale of the operation was revealed on Monday, although some of the attacks have been previously reported on. On Tuesday, New Zealand blamed state-sponsored" Chinese hackers for a 2021 cyber-attack that infiltrated sensitive government computer systems.