Minister for Policing and Communications Ioane Naivalurua says they are reviewing the situation where the US Embassy has informed the Fijian Government of a suspected cyber attack on a regional organisation based in Suva.
The Embassy says hackers linked to China believed to have accessed the organisation’s network for several days.
The say the suspected compromise occurred between July and August this year.
The Embassy says they have also provided technical recommendations to the Fijian Government and the affected organisation on steps they could take to protect their networks and strengthen cybersecurity.
While responding to fijivillage News, the Embassy says they cannot provide further details or disclose the name of the organisation affected by this recent cyber incident.
They say the purpose of this disclosure is to highlight a trend the United States continues to observe across Pacific Islands countries of state-sponsored cyber threat actors linked to China targeting foreign governments, multilateral organizations, and telecommunications networks.
Meanwhile, the Embassy confirms the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized platforms “QScan” and “QTRouter,” operated and used by China state-sponsored hackers to target critical infrastructure in the United States.
The Embassy says the Department and FBI takedown matters directly for the Pacific.
They say China's state-sponsored malicious hackers try to hide their tracks while targeting critical infrastructure, not just in the United States, but around the world, including right here in Pacific.
They say there are several news reports on this troubling trend in the Pacific over the past few years.
The Chinese Embassy in Fiji says cybersecurity is an issue of common concern for China and the U.S.
They are urging the U.S. to quit double standards and political manipulation, jointly tackle cybersecurity risks through equal-footed dialogue and build a relationship characterized by peace, stability and mutual respect on cyber issues.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning says China and the U.S. should jointly address the risks of cyber security and build a peaceful, stable, and mutually respectful Sino-U.S network relationship.
Naivalurua is expected to provide a further response soon.
Questions have also been sent to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sakiasi Ditoka on whether concerns are being raised with the Chinese Embassy.
