Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
As China Expands Its Hacking Operations, a Vulnerability Emerges
New revelations underscore the degree to which China has ignored, or evaded, U.S. efforts to curb its extensive computer infiltration efforts.
Share full article
Read in app
U.S. officials say that a network of contractors used by China for computer infiltration campaigns is weakened by economic problems and rampant corruption in the country. Credit...Thomas Peter/Reuters
By Julian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger
Julian E. Barnes reported from Washington and David E. Sanger from Berlin.
Feb. 22, 2024
阅读简体中文版 阅读繁体中文版
The Chinese hacking tools made public in recent days illustrate how much Beijing has expanded the reach of its computer infiltration campaigns through the use of a network of contractors, as well as the vulnerabilities of its emerging system.
The new revelations underscore the degree to which China has ignored, or evaded, American efforts for more than a decade to curb its extensive hacking operations. Instead, China has both built the cyberoperations of its intelligence services and developed a spider web of independent companies to do the work.
Last weekend in Munich, Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, said that hacking operations from China were now directed against the United States at “a scale greater than we’d seen before.” And at a recent congressional hearing, Mr. Wray said China’s hacking program was larger than that of “every major nation combined.”
“In fact, if you took every single one of the F.B.I.’s cyberagents and intelligence analysts and focused them exclusively on the China threat, China’s hackers would still outnumber F.B.I. cyberpersonnel by at least 50 to one,” he said.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
U.S. officials said China had quickly built up that numerical advantage through contracts with firms like I-Soon, whose documents and hacking tools were stolen and placed online in the last week.
Relations Between China and the U.S. China’s Hacker Network: Leaked documents show how the Chinese government is working with private hackers to steal information from foreign governments and companies. The revelations underscore the degree to which China has evaded American efforts to curb its hacking operations. A.I. Race: China lags the United States in generative A.I. by at least a year and may be falling further behind. But even as Chinese tech firms race to keep up, they are relying almost entirely on underlying U.S. technology. An Industrywide Shift: Silicon Valley venture capitalists once saw China as the next frontier for innovation and investment returns. Under scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers, they are backing away from Chinese start-ups. Nuclear Acceleration: Xi Jinping, China’s leader, built up a nuclear arsenal, steeling for a growing rivalry with the United States. Now China is exploring how to wield its newfound strength.
The documents showed that I-Soon’s sprawling activities involved targets in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India and elsewhere.
Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.
Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades. More about Julian E. Barnes
David E. Sanger covers the Biden administration and national security. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written several books on challenges to American national security. More about David E. Sanger
A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 23, 2024, Section A, Page 8 of the New York edition with the headline: China’s Cyberoperations Continue to Expand, at a Cost . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Share full article
Read in app
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT