Numerous Incidents of Computer Hacking from China Perturbs Pentagon

In 2007, China developed methods to break into and craftily use computer networks in different places of the world. The practice is new and proves to be a perilous military capability, according to Pentagon's recent report entitled, "Cyber Warfare Capabilities" released on March 3, 2008.

Pentagon indicated that computer intrusions at the government departments including Pentagon and other US government agencies, contractors and think tanks in 2007 seemed to source from China. Although the report is not a direct accusation on the Chinese government or military for launching the cyber attacks, it tries to suggest that the attacking situations match with the recent military approaches in that country.

In one incident in 2007, a Web attack that targeted at the computer systems of the US Department of Defense crippled the e-mail system of numerous staffers for several weeks but there was no comment from the Pentagon about the source of the assault.

But the US military officials now believe that Chinese advance in cyber warfare together with the country's growing skill in making of information-sending satellites and like capabilities are working to achieve the military goal of causing damage to the potential foes. This is irrespective of the militarily superior nations like the United States, should an international confrontation erupt.

In addition, Chinese hackers' apparent computer intrusions in Germany take place on a daily basis along with system tampering in Britain and France. In 2007, officials at the British Intelligence warned the nation financial institutions that China-sponsored network manipulation could target their computers.

Referring to the international computer intrusions, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, East Asia, David Sedney, said the techniques used and the methods in which these intrusions are carried out indeed quite consistent with the requirements of cyber warfare. David also said that the sort of activities taking place matched with lot of research writings from Chinese military and their theorists, as reported by Latimes on March 4, 2008.

Further, the intrusions into Pentagon computers have let hackers to tamper with unclassified networks of computers. But even while, the hackers failed to penetrate into the classified systems, the hacking is still regarded as serious.

Today, there is a wide range of technologies and scientific material available in the contracting world that is still not classified into topics of hacking but they should be classified.

Related article: Numerous GoDaddy Websites Hijacked for Pushing Malware

» SPAMfighter News - 3/11/2008