CHINESE HACKERS HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH TOP AMERICAN NEWS OUTLETS

CHINESE HACKERS HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH TOP AMERICAN NEWS OUTLETS



It seems nowadays no one is safe from incursions by Chinese hackers, who have a field day wreaking terror on public and government enterprises alike.  First the 'news' came from the New York Times, which was soon echoed by the Wall Street Journal, then  was quickly joined by the Washington Post.

It seems the hackers at least have good taste.  But jokes aside, this latest incursions pose a troubling question:  are the Chinese hacking our most hallowed news outlets in fear of negative reporting of Chinese news?  If so, the hacking efforts are a double whammy: on one hand, they are getting information before it is published, and on the other, they are not so subtly intimidating the offended party through their actions.

For the hacking isn't just done just to snoop at what would become published material. What has come to light is much more dangerous.  The hacked news outlets have reported that the hackers have not only stolen material, and files, but have stolen 'contacts' lists, thereby raising the specter of future harassment or indictment of the people who might be sourcing or informing the newspapers in China.  This, in effect, is a gross violation of the paper's right to protect its sources.   

Indeed the hackers have gone so far as to target specific journalists, indicating the purposeful nature of the attacks.  It goes without saying that such journalists were the ones whose articles focused on Chinese political, legal and economic issues.

As of Wednesday, the latest victim was Bloomberg News L.P., which related that the hackers worked specifically to find files that related to an article that focused on the wealth accumulated by relatives of the Vice President of China at the time published last year.  

This issue of hacking attacks, which is a principal concern in government related incidents, has now spread to other concerns, raising further preoccupations on the ability to defend domestic material from foreign attacks.



Adapted from: NYT 2.1.13
Source: The New York Times 2.1.13

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