Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed the name of the contractor running the Ministry of Defence’s payroll system that was hacked by China.
Mr Shapps told parliament that SSCL (Shared Services Connected Ltd) is the contractor and their work is being reviewed across government following the cyber attack – which China has denied.
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The cabinet minister initially did not name the company operating the payroll, but told MPs that there is evidence of “potential failings” which “may have made it easier for the malign actor” to gain access to the bank details of service personnel and veterans.
In response, Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey said the government had “many serious questions to answer”, and went on to claim that “Shared Services Connected Ltd has the MOD contract for core payroll and other business services”.
Mr Shapps replied: “He has named the contractor that was involved, I can confirm that’s the correct name, SSCL.
“I’ve requested from the Cabinet Office a full review of their work across government as well as within MoD, which is underway.”
Sky News revealed last night that the Chinese state had hacked the Armed Forces’ payroll system.
China said the accusations are “completely fabricated and malicious slanders”.
Names, addresses and bank details of current Army, Royal Navy and RAF personnel and some veterans were exposed by the hack.
SSCL is a subsidiary of the Paris-based tech company Sopra Steria. The company is the largest provider of business support services for the…
