I'm glad to see this is finally getting some attention. As bad as these articles make the extent of the ongoing Chinese espionage sound, it's actually worse... Human rights groups as well as Washington-based think tanks that have helped shape the debate in Congress about China were also hit.
sigh... "Usually it's a group using one type of malicious code per target," said Eli Jellenc, head of international cyber-intelligence for VeriSign's iDefense Labs, a Silicon Valley company helping some firms investigate the attacks. "In this case, they're using multiple types against multiple targets -- but all in the same attack campaign. That's a marked leap in coordination."
The division of labor is what I think stands out the most. "This is a big espionage program aimed at getting high-tech information and politically sensitive information -- the high-tech information to jump-start China's economy and the political information to ensure the survival of the regime," said James A. Lewis, a cyber and national security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "This is what China's leadership is after. This reflects China's national priorities."
Google China cyberattack part of vast espionage campaign, experts say - washingtonpost.com |