Fergie's Tech Blog

The Secret China-U.S. Hacking War

Larry Seltzer writes on eWeek:

Recent reports have the U.S. military not quite blaming the Chinese military for a long string of cyber-attacks against U.S. military computers. It sure sounds like they believe it, but they're not quite saying it. Also left unsaid is how much actual damage and compromise has happened already.

A Wall Street Journal article March 12 described how military networks are increasingly the targets of hackers. The targets are not limited to actual Department of Defense networks, but can also include defense industries and think tanks. The full article is available only to subscribers. Another detailed article on the same material is available on DailyTech.

The Journal article quotes Gen. Kevin Chilton, "[t]he top U.S. commander in charge of cyberspace," as saying that the networks are under attack, and that there is significant evidence implicating the Chinese but not outright accusing them. "The thing about China that gives you pause is that they've written openly about their emphasis in particular areas--space and cyberspace," he said.

posted by Fergie @ 3/13/2008 05:25:00 PM