London Thanasis Gavos

Hackers linked to Russia and China gained access to the systems of the UK’s most “dangerous” nuclear power station, the Guardian newspaper has revealed after an extensive investigation.

It also notes that senior officials at the nuclear plant at Sellafield, in Cumbria, NW England, have tried to cover up the incident.

The paper reports that authorities do not know exactly when the cyberattack took place, but the paper’s sources say that computer system breaches with malware were first detected in 2015.

It is also not yet clear whether Sellafield’s systems have been completely de-softwareed.

It is believed that the hackers may have gained access to Sellafield’s most confidential information, meaning sensitive activities such as transporting radioactive waste, monitoring leaks of hazardous materials and monitoring the site for fires may have been compromised.

The Sellafield facility holds the largest quantities of plutonium in the world and is also a repository for nuclear waste from weapons programs and decades of nuclear power generation.

As the paper notes, cyber-attacks and cyber-espionage are among the biggest threats to national security, according to the UK government’s updated official National Risk Register.