Evidence of more China-led 'cyber-espionage' against US increases

Hacker
Trade secrets may be threatened

An intelligence report claims China is stepping up efforts to hack into U.S.-based commercial interests, raising new fears about trade secret theft.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the U.S. continues to be a big target for cyber-espionage, with experts fearing theft of trade secrets and a threat to the nation's economic competitiveness.

China has been named as the country leading what's referred to as a "massive, sustained cyber-espionage campaign" against the U.S., despite continued denials from the government in Beijing.

According to sources familiar with classified documents from the National Intelligence Estimate, Chinese hackers have been increasing attacks against key sectors ranging from energy, finance and information to aerospace and automotive.

Few options

No longer a concern only for U.S. military and intelligence officials, the increasingly sophisticated attacks also include enlisting Chinese citizens already in the country with access to corporate networks, where theft is carried out via email and USB thumb drives.

Other targets include newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post as well as search giant Google, which announced a major intrusion by Chinese hackers nearly two years ago.

Even as the Obama White House attempts to find solutions for preventing trade secret theft online, the report noted that companies are ultimately responsible for how each handles such incidents.

In addition to building evidence of seemingly invisible attacks against them, corporations risk burning bridges - not to mention economic interests - with countries like China and others accused of such activity.

Some readers will remember that a reported Twitter hack last week potentially impacted high profile users, including President Obama. There's been no connection made between China and that hack (at least not publicly), but the situation, said to have impacted some 250,000 users, is still unsettling.

TOPICS
Latest in Cyber Crime
A person scanning a QR code on a smartphone
Quishing is the new QR code scam you need to watch out for – here's how to stay safe
Ransomware on the rise: how small and medium-sized businesses can achieve cyber resilience during turbulent times
Ransomware on the rise: how small and medium-sized businesses can achieve cyber resilience during turbulent times
Text Phishing Scams
Do not fall for this dangerous Amazon shopping scam
Cyber-security
Safeguarding against next-gen cyber risks
The North Face jacket
Thousands of North Face customers accounts hacked, personal data stolen
Smartphone hacked with data flow in the background
9 signs your phone has been hacked
Latest in News
Google Gemini Flash 2.0 Images
I tried Gemini's new AI image generation tool - here are 5 ways to get the best art from Google's Flash 2.0
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Eurocom Raptor X18
At $15,000, this massive 256GB RAM laptop makes Apple's MacBook Pro look affordable, tiny and very, very slow
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
A graphic of the PC Gaming Show
Get ready for a bounty of PC games on June 8, as the PC Gaming show is back
A close up of The Daily podcast from Pocket Casts' web page
‘Podcasting shouldn’t be locked behind walled gardens’: Pocket Casts slams Spotify and makes its web player free to all