We’ve been targeted by hackers too, says China in wake of US cyber-espionage claims
- State media says a number of government and military agencies have been targeted from abroad since the start of the year
- Broadcast follows increasing scrutiny from US, which accuses China of stealing technology
China has sought to turn the tables after widespread claims it has been hacking US firms by claiming it has suffered from an increasing number of cyberattacks from abroad.
A prime-time programme by the state broadcaster China Central Television on Thursday said foreign hackers had attacked Chinese government agencies as well as scientific research and military institutions multiple times since the start of the year, causing the leak of hundreds of thousands of documents.
The programme covering the country’s latest anti-espionage legislation did not name specific countries, but came just a few days after the US government released a report claiming that Chinese hacking efforts to steal American technology and trade secrets have “increased in frequency and sophistication” this year.
“At present, we’re facing an especially serious situation in terms of cyber spying,” said CCTV.
It said hundreds of computers had been taken over by hackers and confidential materials covering various fields, including politics, economics, the military, diplomacy and science, had been stolen this year.
Three specific cases were discussed in the programme, though the locations and names of organisations were all concealed.