China hackers accused of attacking Japanese defence firms
Cyber attacks may be aimed at securing information about Tokyo’s policies towards North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, says US security firm
Chinese hackers have targeted Japanese defence companies, possibly to get information on Tokyo’s policy toward resolving the North Korean nuclear impasse, according to cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc.
The attacks are suspected to come from a group known as APT 10, a China-based espionage group that FireEye has been tracking since 2009. One of the lures used in a “spear-phishing” email attack was a defence lecture given by former head of Unesco, Koichiro Matsuura. Two attacks took place between September and October 2017, the firm said.
“Lure content related to the defence industry suggests that a possible motive behind the intrusion attempt is gaining insider information on policy prescription to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue,” said Bryce Boland, chief technology officer for the Asia-Pacific region at FireEye.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a faxed request for comment on Friday. After a similar FireEye report involving US targets last month, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China opposed all kinds of cyberattacks.
The suspected attacks coincided with a dramatic escalation in tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme as Kim Jong-un tested a hydrogen bomb and US President Donald Trump threatened to “totally destroy” the country. The US and Japan have been coordinating their diplomatic and military pressure campaigns against the country and neighbouring China is anxious to avoid a clash on its border.