Chinese army would control hundreds or thousands of hackers, among the most virulent of the world, according to a U.S. Internet security company in a report that raised the ire of Beijing. These hackers who recently attacked American newspapers, corporations and government agencies are “based mainly in China and the Chinese government is fully aware of their activities,” Mandiant, a company headqurtered in Alexandria, Va. said. This is one of the private companies that advise the U.S. government on computer security. It released a 74-page report after conducting hundreds of surveys on the topic over the last three years.
The publication of this report immediately triggered a strong denial from Beijing: “It is neither professional nor responsible for making baseless accusations without evidence, and it does not help to solve the problems that matter”, said Beijing spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hong Lei. “China is firmly opposed to the Internet piracy,” he said, arguing that China was itself a victim. “Of all the cyber attacks against China, the most numerous are those from the United States”, he added.
On the American side the reaction remained calm, even though all the officials interviewed on the report stressed their “concern” about the subject. U.S. authorities “often mention this issue with Chinese officials, including with military leaders,” said the spokesman for the White House Jay Carney. “We expressed our concerns repeatedly about the data stealing on the Internet at the highest level with Chinese officials, including the army, and we will continue to do so,” added the Pentagon spokesman, George Little.
Chair of the Intelligence Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein meanwhile stressed that the Mandiant report shows the need to implement international rules against cyber attacks, same as thee ones against crimes. The study of Mandiant focused on a group named “APT1”, an acronym for “Advanced Persistent Threat”: “We believe that APT1 is able to carry out a vast espionage campaign on the internet because it receives direct support from the government,” says the company.
This organization is in fact a subsidiary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, known as Unit 61398, and the signatures of its cyberattacks were followed to a 12-storey building on the outskirts of Shanghai, according to the report, which estimates that APT1 would account for “hundreds, even thousands of employees.”
The New York Times has also referred to APT1 just after the publication by the newspaper of an article about the personal fortune of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. A prime target for hackers, according to the newspaper, was also a company that may control more than 60% of oil and gas pipelines in North America.
The building singled out as being the headquarters of APT1 is located in Gaoqiao, in the northern suburbs of Shanghai, near a petrochemical plant and is surrounded by small shops. A soldier was guarding the entrance to the building Tuesday, said a journalist from AFP, while a sign read: “No photography” in Chinese and English.
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