NEW: Royal Navy sea drones secretly sent data to China.
Cameras onboard a fleet of surveillance drones were found to contain Chinese parts despite assurances from suppliers that they were secure.
An investigation found the cameras had been sending “heartbeat” signals to an IP address in China, forcing the Ministry of Defence to remove their connectivity.
The Navy purchased the drones, made by Kraken Technology Group, in March. They are set to be sent to the Strait of Hormuz as part of the UK’s plan to protect the waterways.
The MoD insist no sensitive data was breached and vulnerabilities have now been patched. Defence sources say this is a “major” failure.