LONDON — The United Kingdom, the United States are joining allies to confirm that Chinese state-backed actors were responsible for gaining access to computer networks around the world via Microsoft Exchange servers. The attacks took place in early 2021, affecting over a quarter of a million servers worldwide. Commenting on the move, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "The cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange Server by Chinese state-backed groups was a reckless but familiar pattern of behavior. "The Chinese government must end this systematic cyber sabotage and can expect to be held to account if it does not," Raab added. The UK is also attributing the Chinese Ministry of State Security as being behind activities known by cybersecurity experts as “APT40” and “APT31”. The public disclosure of the Chinese efforts amounts to a new front in an ongoing offensive by the Biden administration to bat away cyberthreats that have exposed serious vulnerabilities in major American sectors, including energy and food production. The extent of Chinese involvement in hiring criminal networks to invade and extort money around the world came as a surprise to the White House, officials said. "What we found really surprising and new here was the use of criminal contract hackers to conduct this unsanctioned cyber operation and really the criminal activity for financial gain. That was really eye-opening and surprising for us," a senior administration official said on Sunday ahead of the announcement. Still, while American officials have raised concerns with the Chinese about the behavior, the US is stopping short of applying new punishment on Beijing as part of Monday"s announcement. The official said the US was "not ruling out further actions to hold (China) accountable." — Agencies