China is carrying out a cyberattack campaign to try to collect information on U.S. government defense programs, says a Pentagon report released Monday. “China continues to leverage foreign investments, commercial joint ventures, academic exchanges, the experience of repatriated Chinese students and researchers, and state sponsored industrial and technical espionage to increase the level of technologies and expertise available to support military research, development, and acquisition,” according to the report sent to the Congress.
Chinese hackers tried to access last year computers in the government network, which would have provided Beijing a deeper understanding of military capabilities and political debates in the United States, added the report.
“In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military,” reads the report.
The report is the most direct statement yet of the U.S. that Chinese hackers have targeted the U.S. government and American companies.
Even though Barack Obama’s administration has already asked China to stop these attacks, American officials have so far focused their comments on the espionage that targeted U.S. private companies. “We have seen a steady ramping up of cybersecurity threats. We’ve made it very clear to China and some other state actors that, you know, we expect them to follow international norms and abide by international rules,” said President Obama.
China has sought to obtain information on weapons and technology. Chinese leaders also wanted to know the views of the American leaders on issues related to China and the Chinese military, according to the report.
Beijing’s maneuvers would allow Chinese generals to establish an overall picture of the United States defense sectors, logistics and military capabilities that could be exploited in times of crisis, according to the Pentagon.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said today that his country is “firmly against any forms of cyberattacks.” Chinese government said in the past that China is in fact a victim of cyberattacks.
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