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China Is America’s #1 Cyber Threat: U.S. Govt. Report
A new report by the National Intelligence Estimate confirms that China is America's biggest cyber threat.
The report is classified, but people with knowledge of the findings spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity.
"The United States is the target of a massive, sustained cyber-espionage campaign that is threatening the country’s economic competitiveness," According to the article "The report, which represents the consensus view of the U.S. intelligence community, describes a wide range of sectors that have been the focus of hacking over the past five years, including energy, finance, information technology, aerospace and automotive."
But other industries have been targeted as of late, including the media and the U.S. Federal Government.
In recent weeks, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg disclosed cyber attacks traced back to China. Twitter was also hacked, but the origins of that attack remain unknown. But perhaps the most disturbing case of cyber-espionage involves the Federal Reserve and Department of Energy.
The National Intelligence Estimate identifies China as the country most aggressively seeking to penetrate the computer systems of American businesses and institutions to gain access to data that could be used for economic gain.
The report, which represents the consensus view of the U.S. intelligence community, describes a wide range of sectors that have been the focus of hacking over the past five years, including energy, finance, information
technology, aerospace and automotives, according to the individuals familiar with the report, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the classified document. The assessment does not quantify the financial impact of the espionage, but outside experts have estimated it in the tens of billions of dollars.
In a sign of such concerns, the Obama administration is seeking ways to counter the online theft of trade secrets, according to officials. Analysts have said that the administration’s options include formal protests, the expulsion of diplomatic personnel, the imposition of travel and visa restrictions, and complaints to the World Trade Organization.
Cyber-espionage is “just so widespread that it’s known to be a national issue at this point,” said one administration official, who like other current and former officials interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The National Intelligence Estimate names three other countries — Russia, Israel and France — as having engaged in hacking for economic intelligence but makes clear that cyber-espionage by those countries pales in comparison with China’s effort.
China has staunchly rejected such allegations, saying the Beijing government neither condones nor carries out computer hacking.
Originally posted by diqiushiwojia
Please don't see the CCP like a unified whole. There are extreme leftist 'factions' in the CCP which absolutely despise the US, and it's probably just those 'factions' that are hacking into US systems. I doubt this cyber-espionage is on Hu's or Xi's agenda.edit on 11-2-2013 by diqiushiwojia because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by diqiushiwojia
Please don't see the CCP like a unified whole. There are extreme leftist 'factions' in the CCP which absolutely despise the US, and it's probably just those 'factions' that are hacking into US systems. I doubt this cyber-espionage is on Hu's or Xi's agenda.edit on 11-2-2013 by diqiushiwojia because: (no reason given)