Chinese Military Increases Scope of Cyberattacks on the US - Institute for Maritime and Ocean Affairs

After several major cyberattacks were traced to the Chinese military in February 2013, hackers in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have not only continued their attacks against the United States, but they are attacking on an even larger scale, and with greater frequency.

“Across numerous industries, we’ve increasingly observed the Chinese government conduct expansive intrusion campaigns to obtain information to support state-owned enterprises,” states a new report from security company Mandiant.

“This translates into data theft that goes far beyond the core intellectual property of a company, to include information about how these businesses work and how executives and key figures make decisions,” it states.

After stealing information on how a company works, the Chinese regime then feeds the information to its state-run companies, which can then use it to compete internationally. The data can be used either to boost operations, or to give them insider knowledge when negotiating deals.

The report notes that, while China’s state-run cyberattacks regularly make headlines around the world, there are many serious attacks that get little attention.