BEIJING (Dispatches) - China’s computers have been hacked by overseas actors predominantly from the U.S. to target Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, China’s Xinhua News Agency said on Friday with reference to the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China.
“Since late February, China has faced continuous cyberattacks in which overseas actors took control of computers in the country to target Russia, Ukraine and Belarus,” the statement reads.
Following an investigation, most of the addresses for these attacks came from the United States. Xinhua stated that about 87% of cyberattacks registered by China are directed against Russia. The addresses of the attacks have been detected from Germany, the Netherlands and other countries.
Xinhua notes that the regulator took possible measures to prevent such actions.
According to figures cited in the Chinese media, some 87% of all cyberattacks carried out via computers in China had Russia as their prime target.
The article reassured readers that China’s internet authority has been responding to cyber breaches “to the maximum extent and in a timely manner”.
Since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the country’s government websites as well as those belonging to some major commercial banks, companies and media, including RT, have been the target of multiple cyberattacks.
Meanwhile, U.S. media ran reports, claiming that an unnamed Chinese government-backed hacking group had attacked local government agencies in half a dozen US states over the past 10 months. Reports citing American cybersecurity firm Mandiant alleged the Chinese hackers’ prime objective was information-gathering.
CNN also claimed that an advisory by the FBI and U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to state governments had supposedly named “health, transportation, labor (including unemployment benefit systems), higher education, agriculture, and court networks and systems” among the areas targeted.