No evidence of data breach after Chinese-made component found in Navy drones, MoD says
The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that Chinese-made components were found in Royal Navy surveillance drones, though no data breach occurred. The discovery highlights ongoing concerns regarding supply chain security and the prevalence of Chinese technology in Western military hardware.
Why it matters
It underscores the significant challenge Western militaries face in securing supply chains against potential espionage risks from foreign-made components.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The Royal Navy bought 20 K3 Scout surveillance drones (on the top right of the vessel), pictured here during an arms and defence exhibition in London last year
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said there is no evidence to suggest a systems or data breach after the Royal Navy's new sea drones were found to include a Chinese-made component.
During what the MoD called a "routine cyber vulnerability assessment" of the drones, the cameras were found to have sent a squark – also known as a heartbeat communication – to a Chinese IP address.
A squark can signal when the system is switched on, is functioning properly, but it can also carry location information.
"A thorough investigation found no evidence of MoD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally," an MoD spokesperson said.
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