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China warns foreign hackers are infiltrating ‘hundreds’ of business and government networks
- Top spy agency urges Chinese citizens to step up cybersecurity as attacks by overseas agencies have been ‘rampant’ in recent years
- The message comes as Beijing broadens scope of anti-espionage law to cover online attacks and prepares to expand penalties for data violations
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Hayley Wongin Beijing
China’s state security authority warned that the networks of “hundreds” of Chinese business and government units have been infiltrated by an overseas hacking group and urged citizens to step up cybersecurity.
The Ministry of State Security on Thursday posted a message on its official WeChat account to highlight hacking and ransom risks, which it said could cause “huge economic losses and leakage of sensitive information” as cyberattacks by foreign agencies have been “rampant” in recent years.
“If [sensitive and secret information] were collected by foreign spy agencies or someone with an ill intention, it could endanger our national security severely,” it said.
Beijing has expanded efforts in cybersecurity compliance in recent years amid a perceived increase in attacks by foreign agencies.
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China and the United States, in particular, have exchanged accusations of state-backed cyberattacks with targets ranging from universities to critical infrastructure and supply chains.
The WeChat post gave one example of a typical attack in which a “hi-tech enterprise” was blackmailed after its infosystem and data were encrypted and controlled by one foreign hacking group, interrupting daily operations.
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It also said: “The foreign hacking group has also infiltrated hundreds of networks of domestic business and government units, in preparation for larger scale criminal activities.”
It did not identify the hacking group’s name or location.
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