Chinese Pentagon Cyber-Attack Precedes Larger Hacks
Amidst categoric denials issued by China in respect of any involvement in disabling parts of the Pentagon’s computer network earlier this year, on the 8th September, The Times newspaper in the UK detailed a much more intricate and involved plan. It claimed, through familiarity with a report issued by the Pentagon, that military hackers in China have formulated a plan to launch a new cyber-attack. The purpose of this, the newspaper added, would initially be to put the US Navy’s fleet of battle carriers out of operation. However, on a wider scale, an extensive programme of cyber-destabilisation is apparently in the pipeline, which would see Beijing gain “electronic dominance” over its counterparts by 2050. The focal targets are seen as Russia, South Korea and Britain, as well as the US itself, The Times affirmed.
The newspaper attributed the attack’s conception to two hackers, who currently work for the People’s Liberation Army of China. Furthermore, according to the Pentagon, online hacks of this nature are considered as “critical to seize the initiative” should a major war erupt. So detailed The Times: "China's ambitions extend to crippling an enemy's financial, military and communications capabilities early in a conflict."
The broadsheet quoted the writer of the US Army War College Report, Larry M. Wortzel, who, alluding to the possible threat of future military action, said: "The thing that should give us pause is that in many Chinese military manuals they identify the US as the country they are most likely to go to war with. They are moving very rapidly to master this new form of warfare."
The article described how, in the wake of assessing US and Nato-issued manuals detailing military conduct, the pair of hackers within the PLA had created “a virtual guidebook for electronic warfare and jamming”. It further provided figures allegedly issued by the Pentagon, which cite the number of attempted hacks on its computer networks as over 79,000 in 2005. Of these, approximately 1,300 were successful.
In light of the recently-issued claims linking China’s military to the Pentagon attack in June this year, the far east nation issued an emphatic denial. Indeed, a spokeswoman from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said of the connection: "Some people are making wild accusations against China ... These are totally groundless and also reflect a Cold War mentality."
While unable to comment on the verity of the allegations made, Security International has covered this News Item on the basis of its relevance to the security sector. Based on its keen interest in the field of both military and online security issues, Security International will continue to provide unrivalled coverage of any further developments related to this situation as we get the facts.
Source – Security International’s US Correspondent
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