Nov 20 2008
DefenseNews: Chinese cyber attacks on the rise
Defense News presents a rather chilling look at the rising threat of Chinese cyber operations and cyber crime targeting US interests to include defense and industry:
Chinese hackers have been able to steal data as diverse as NASA files on the Mars orbiter’s propulsion system, solar panels and fuel tanks, Army helicopter mission planning systems and Air Force flight planning software.
China has been able to break into the U.S. military’s non-classified NIPRNet, which could give it “the potential capability to delay or disrupt U.S. forces without physically engaging them,” the commission says.
And China continues to strengthen its cyber warfare capabilities. “Many individuals are being trained in cyber operations at Chinese military academies,” the commission report says.
Chinese-made cyber hardware is a threat, too. Computer and network components made in China could be implanted with malicious code that can be activated later to steal, manipulate or destroy critical data, the commission says.
