Computer security experts in a growing number of countries are claiming that a Chinese based cyber espionage ring has launched attacks against thousands of government computers around the world. For their part, Beijing is denying the allegations of cyber espionage, insisting that the claims are no more than the latest wave of political attacks against the Chinese government.
In an article on CNN.com, a Chinese government spokesperson is quoted as saying, “this is purely another political issue that the West is trying to exaggerate.” But security experts see a pattern of organized infiltration in the attacks.
For example, computers at the NATO headquarters in Europe, as well as the embassies of many European governments, have been infected with the sophisticated virus, which allows remote access to potentially sensitive information. Many cyber security experts believe the source of the malevolent software is a highly organized network within China.
Universities such as the Munk Center for International Studies in Toronto and Britain’s esteemed University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory have also issued reports indicating the likelihood of an organized cyber espionage ring operating from within China, and quite possibly, with the approval or financial backing of the Chinese government.
The network itself has been labeled “ghost net” by security experts, who believe that sophisticated viruses are being used to spy on both Western governments and businesses, giving China a considerable political and commercial advantage in the world marketplace. The software is so sophisticated, according to security experts, that it is capable of accessing any device which may be connected to the infected computer, including web cams, microphones and fax/printers.
One report by the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory reveals that the office of the Dalai Lama had several computers infected with the virus. When the Dalai Lama’s staff sent an e-mail to a (unnamed) foreign leader, the same leader was contacted by Chinese government officials almost immediately, warning of political retribution if he agreed to meet with the Dalai Lama. According to the Cambridge report, there was no way the Chinese could have known about the proposed meeting without having covert access to one or more computers within the Dalai Lama’s office.
Other reports have also turned up damning evidence that Beijing is involved in cyber espionage. So far, hundreds of government computers from Britain, the United States, Iran, the Philippines and Indonesia have been infected by the sophisticated virus. Suspiciously, almost all machines infected have been located in government offices which deal with potentially sensitive information.
