MPs hire top spy to protect emails from Chinese hackers: 'Panic' in the Commons amid fears over cyberagents Senior MI5 expert Paul Martin appointed to help repel hackers Cyberwarriors trawling for secret data to blackmail MPs Parliament regarded as a 'weak link' compared to Whitehall Problem compounded by MPs' use of taxpayer-funded iPads By Glen Owen Protection: Senior MI5 counter-intelligence expert Paul Martin has been hired to help repel hackers working for the Russian and Chinese governments (file picture) A top spy has been hired by the House of Commons to defend MPs from cyber-attacks amid fears that foreign agents have penetrated Parliament's computer system. Paul Martin, a senior MI5 counter-intelligence expert, has been appointed to help repel "cyberwarriors" working for the Russian and Chinese governments, who are trawling for secret data or compromising information to use against MPs in blackmail operations. As a Royal Palace rather than a Government department, Parliament is regarded as a "weak link" by the Security Services because it does not automatically receive the same level of computer protection enjoyed by Whitehall. The problem has been compounded by MPs" widespread use of taxpayer-funded iPads, which operate on Westminster's wi-fi networks. One source has even claimed that there was "panic" in the Commons late last year after it was discovered that hackers linked to the Chinese government appeared to have broken into the system. The suggestion has since been denied by Westminster-based security officials. Now Mr Martin, whose 25-year intelligence career began after he responded to a coded magazine advert, has been tasked with leading the fightback. As the new Parliamentary Security Director, he is expected to call in help from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, the world-leading communications intelligence agency based in Cheltenham, to strengthen MPs" cyber-defences. Last night, a senior Commons source admitted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to "hold the line" against the attacks. The source said: "The problem is that, on our own, we don't have the resources to keep up with the hackers, so we do need help from the agencies. The main threat is coming from groups paid by the Chinese and Russian governments to crack our systems. They devote a lot of time and resources to it, and they are stepping up their efforts. The source added that MPs" increasing use of tablet computers and "remote printing" - using wi-fi to send instructions to their offices in Westminster or their constituencies - had made the hackers" job easier. "We are watching the hackers," the insider added. We know where they are and what they are trying to do. Fightback: Mr Martin will call in help from intelligence officers working at MI5's headquarters in London to strengthen MPs' cyber-defences Last year, Jonathan Evans, the Director General of MI5, warned that an "astonishing" level of cyber-attacks from both enemy states and criminals posed an escalating threat. Their techniques include placing "Trojan" software into terminals to replicate and transfer sensitive data, or intercepting wireless signals. Russian agents working for the FSB, the successor agency to the KGB, have been linked to cyber-warfare assaults on Nato and other military institutions, while attacks on Western computer systems have also been traced to computer addresses linked to China's People's Liberation Army. It has even been claimed the Chinese managed to hack into computers in the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Mr Martin, 54, who started his career as a lecturer in behaviouralism at Cambridge University, joined MI5 aged 28. Within a week of spotting the coded advert in New Scientist magazine, he had received a "brown envelope" inviting him to an interview. After "fieldwork" in the Middle East, he rose swiftly through the ranks. A Commons spokesman said: "Mr Martin took up post as Parliamentary Security Director on February 4. The Director is responsible for the strategy, planning and overall delivery of security across the Parliamentary Estate.