The US for the first time is publicly warning about the Chinese military’s use of civilian computer experts in clandestine cyberattacks aimed at US companies and government agencies.
In a move that is being seen as a pointed signal to Beijing, the Pentagon laid out its concerns this week in a carefully worded report.
The Pentagon said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is using “information warfare units” to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks, and those units include civilian computer professionals.
The assertion shines a light on a quandary that has troubled US authorities for some time: How does the US deal with cyber espionage emanating from China and almost certainly directed by the government — despite the fact that US officials do not have or cannot show proof of those ties?
Asked about the civilian hackers, a Department of Defense spokesman said the Pentagon is concerned about any potential threat to its computer networks.
The Pentagon, Commander Bob Mehal said, will monitor the PLA’s buildup of its cyberwarfare capabilities, and “will continue to develop capabilities to counter any potential threat.”
The new warning also comes as US and other world leaders are struggling to improve cooperation on global cybercrime and set guidelines for Internet oversight.
“The Chinese government, particularly the PLA, has sought to tap into the hacker community and take advantage of it,” said cybersecurity expert James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“One of the things that the Defense Department has been looking for is a way to start signaling potential opponents about activities that might cross the line in cyberspace,” he said.
The China report, he said, is one way to send that signal to Beijing.
The Pentagon report says that last year “numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the US government, continued to be the target of intrusions that appear to have originated within” China.
Those attacks, the report said, “focused on exfiltrating information, some of which could be of strategic or military utility.”
The Pentagon also pointed to an alleged China-based computer spying network — dubbed GhostNet — that was revealed in a research report last year. The report said the spy ring stole sensitive information from nearly 1,300 computer hard drives, including networks belonging to embassies, government offices and the Dalai Lama’s exiled Tibetan government. Chinese officials denied any involvement.
US government agencies and major corporations have repeatedly complained about cyberattacks targeting sensitive defense programs and other high-tech industries.
Computer security experts say they are often called to companies to dissect computer network intrusions that contain Chinese code or can be tracked to Internet addresses in that country.
However, experts acknowledge it is difficult to precisely determine if the cyber intrusions are directed or sanctioned by the Chinese government or its military.
The use of civilian cyber mercenaries gives countries such as China deniability, said Jerry Dixon, former director at the Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team.
The civilian hackers or front companies, he said, often may have particular expertise, such as knowledge about certain defense contractors, critical industries or government agencies.
“It’s a great dodge,” Lewis said. “You, the government, isn’t responsible because it was some civilian that did it.”
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source