BEIJING: Beijing on Monday accused the United States of launching “tens of thousands” of cyberattacks on China and stealing sensitive data, including from a public research university.
Washington The U.S. has accused Beijing of cyberattacks against American businesses and government agencies, one of the issues over which relations between the two powers have eroded in recent years.
China has consistently denied the claims and in turn lashed out against alleged US cyber espionage, but has rarely made public disclosures of specific attacks.
But a report released Monday by its National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) charged up US National Security Agency ,NSA) for carrying out “thousands of malicious attacks on network targets in China in recent years”.
It specifically accused the NSA’s Office of Tailored Access Operations (Tao) infiltrated Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an City.
The university is funded by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, and specializes in aeronautical and space research.
CVERC alleged that TAO infiltrated the university’s network and took “control of thousands of network equipment”, including servers, routers and network switches.
Using dozens of cyber weapons and exploiting previously unknown flaws in the SunOS operating system, the unit gained access to “key technical data” including passwords and the operation of key network equipment, the report said.
TAO has “stolen more than 140 gigabytes of high-value data” in recent years, CVERC said in the report, and received help from groups in Europe and South Asia, co-authored by private Chinese cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360. went.
The NSA did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
In June, Xi’an officials said they had launched an investigation into an alleged cyberattack at the university that identified “foreign hacking groups and illegal elements”.
The university’s cybersecurity official told the state broadcaster that the attacks “posed significant risks and hidden threats to normal work and life at our school”. CCTV In the comments published on Monday.
Last year, Washington accused Beijing of a massive attack on Microsoft’s email software that affected at least 30,000 US organizations, including local governments, as well as customers in other countries.
China denied the allegations and responded that Washington was a “world champion” of cyber espionage.
Washington The U.S. has accused Beijing of cyberattacks against American businesses and government agencies, one of the issues over which relations between the two powers have eroded in recent years.
China has consistently denied the claims and in turn lashed out against alleged US cyber espionage, but has rarely made public disclosures of specific attacks.
But a report released Monday by its National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) charged up US National Security Agency ,NSA) for carrying out “thousands of malicious attacks on network targets in China in recent years”.
It specifically accused the NSA’s Office of Tailored Access Operations (Tao) infiltrated Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an City.
The university is funded by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, and specializes in aeronautical and space research.
CVERC alleged that TAO infiltrated the university’s network and took “control of thousands of network equipment”, including servers, routers and network switches.
Using dozens of cyber weapons and exploiting previously unknown flaws in the SunOS operating system, the unit gained access to “key technical data” including passwords and the operation of key network equipment, the report said.
TAO has “stolen more than 140 gigabytes of high-value data” in recent years, CVERC said in the report, and received help from groups in Europe and South Asia, co-authored by private Chinese cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360. went.
The NSA did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
In June, Xi’an officials said they had launched an investigation into an alleged cyberattack at the university that identified “foreign hacking groups and illegal elements”.
The university’s cybersecurity official told the state broadcaster that the attacks “posed significant risks and hidden threats to normal work and life at our school”. CCTV In the comments published on Monday.
Last year, Washington accused Beijing of a massive attack on Microsoft’s email software that affected at least 30,000 US organizations, including local governments, as well as customers in other countries.
China denied the allegations and responded that Washington was a “world champion” of cyber espionage.