Cameras aboard Royal Navy drone boats were found phoning home to an IP address in China during a routine cyber vulnerability assessment. The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed the discovery, describing it as "an issue affecting a Kraken Unmanned Surface Vessel sub-system used by the Royal Navy." The Register understands that the data consisted of a "heartbeat" signalling that the camera was online and functioning normally. Even so, an unexpected transmission from military equipment to an IP address in China will rattle nerves. We contacted unmanned surface vessel supplier Kraken for more information, but have yet to receive a reply. An MoD spokesperson told The Reg: "A thorough investigation found no evidence of MoD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally." "Our assurance and testing processes are designed to identify and address potential vulnerabilities early, and we continue to undertake routine security activity across our systems and equipment." According to reports, the talkative components were cameras sourced by Kraken from a third-party supplier. The incident raises questions about supply chains, audits, and cybersecurity in the British armed forces. The spokesperson said: "The first duty of government is national security, and we take the security of our equipment, networks, and data extremely seriously." Concerns about China-linked cyber activity have risen sharply in recent years. In April, the National Cyber Security Centre issued a security advisory regarding covert networks, built from compromised routers and other edge devices. Beijing is also rarely far from the headlines when spying and covert operations are involved. In January, a China-linked group was accused of spying on the phones of aides to UK prime ministers. An unexpected connection from military hardware to China is therefore concerning, even if it carried little more than an "I'm alive!" heartbeat. The incident also demonstrates why every component in a defense supply chain needs testing rather than relying on a supplier's assurances. ®
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