According to the American cybersecurity company Recorded Future, the Vatican was the target of a cyber attack orchestrated by Chinese hackers, reports Reuters. The attack would have allowed hackers, close to the Chinese government, to infiltrate the computer networks of the Holy See, in particular the diocese of the representative of the Catholic Church based in Hong Kong.
The cyberattack on the Vatican reportedly took place in May, as the Holy See and Beijing met to discuss the renewal of their provisional agreement signed in 2018 regarding the appointment of Catholic bishops in China. An official and crucial meeting between Beijing and the Vatican foreign minister which took place after decades of tension between the two parties.
The diocese of Hong Kong in the sights of China
"The alleged intrusion into the Vatican would offer RedDelta an overview of the Holy See's negotiating position before the agreement is renewed in September 2020," explains the cybersecurity company. The attack could also have provided information on the position of the diocese of Hong Kong regarding the pro-democracy movement whose demonstrations animated the streets of Hong Kong for several weeks.
"The targeting of entities linked to the Catholic Church is probably an indication of the objectives of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] in consolidating control over the 'underground' Catholic Church and 'sinizing religions' in China," Recorded believes Future.
Our file on cyber attacks
The hackers would have used phishing in particular to infiltrate the computer networks of the Vatican. There is indeed question that so-called official emails from the Vatican were sent to the head of the Hong Kong study mission.
So far, the Vatican has not made any statement. As for China, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry assured Reuters that his country is a strong advocate for cybersecurity and has denied any government-ordered hacking.
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