The UK’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has fallen victim to a cyberattack targeting its payroll system, compromising the personal data of serving UK military personnel. The breach, uncovered in recent days, is suspected to be the work of Chinese hackers.

The BBC reported that the breach has affected an undisclosed number of current and former members of the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force. The compromised data includes names, bank details, and, in some cases, personal addresses. The breach was described as substantial by sources familiar with the matter.

Although the full extent of the breach is yet to be determined, initial investigations suggest that no operational data was obtained. The MoD swiftly responded to the breach by taking the affected system offline, managed by an external contractor.

In response to the breach, the MoD has taken steps to notify and support those affected, including providing guidance and assistance to veterans' organizations.

According to people familiar with the matter, the UK is investigating whether China is attempting to build profiles of members of the armed forces and people in other sensitive roles through the compromise of different databases containing personal information.

Last week, Czechia, Germany and allies accused Russia of orchestrating cyberattacks against democratic institutions and political parties across Europe and other countries.