China exposed in massive leak for hacking and spying activities

TLDR:

Leaked documents reveal China’s extensive hacking operations through a private security contractor with ties to their spy agency. The leak exposes Beijing’s efforts to infiltrate foreign governments, firms, and infrastructure, targeting critical American infrastructure. The documents also show the contractor’s tools for spreading propaganda and monitoring activists living abroad. This revelation sparks concern in the U.S. and its allies over China’s state-directed cyber operations.

Summary:

A recent leak of documents unveiled China’s widespread hacking operations conducted through a private security contractor linked to the spy agency. The 190-megabyte leak exposed Beijing’s efforts to infiltrate foreign governments, firms, and national infrastructure. FBI Director Christopher Wray had previously warned about China’s extensive targeting of critical American infrastructure to steal personal, corporate, and research data.

The leaked documents shed light on the contractor’s tools to spread propaganda, monitor activists living abroad, and disrupt Wi-Fi networks. It was revealed that the Chinese contractor also collected intelligence on infrastructure, with one spreadsheet showing data on road maps in Taiwan which China considers its territory.

While most of the entities targeted were in Asia, the leak also revealed that the U.K.’s Home and Foreign Offices, Treasury, and British think tanks were also on the list. This revelation sparked heightened concerns in the U.S. and its allies over China’s sophisticated state-directed cyber operations.

In response to these revelations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning denied the accusations, stating that China opposes and cracks down on cyber attacks in accordance with the law. However, FBI Director Wray emphasized the threat posed by China’s hackers targeting critical American infrastructure and engaging in wholesale theft of innovation and data.

The leak has brought these cybersecurity issues to the forefront of discussions between the U.S. and its allies, highlighting the growing concern over China’s cyber capabilities and the need for increased vigilance to protect against these threats.