MI5 warns UK firms about China's People's Liberation Army

The plot thickens. Today, the head of MI5 Jonathan Evans, has written letters to financial, legal and retail firms advising them to undertake a risk assessment of their IT security defences. Why? Because they claim that China's People's Liberation Army is conducting a concentrated campaign of cyber espionage against UK businesses. Sounds familiar? From computing.co.uk:

"The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has been monitoring activity from the People's Liberation Army in China," said KPMG principal advisor Martin Jordan, who has seen a copy of the letter.

"The activity has led them to believe that there is a serious and concerted attempt at electronic espionage through every sinew of British industry."

Chinese companies are allegedly looking to make financial gain out of the information.

"If they know that British firms are trying to buy a company or a plot of land in China then they have got room to manoeuvre at the negotiating table because they know what a company is prepared to pay," said Jordan.

Last summer a slew of cyber attacks on Whitehall departments were alleged to have originated in China. Beijing strenuously denied the claim .