Sino Cyber Wars Continue To Threaten Our Security

Chinese hackers have penetrated the White House computer network on multiple occasions, and obtained e-mails between government officials, a senior US official told the FT.

The cyber attackers managed to penetrate the White House system for brief periods that allowed them to steal information before US government experts each time patched the system.

Chinese hackers: No site is safe

• Chinese hackers claim to have broken into Pentagon’s system
• The hackers met with CNN on an island near a Chinese naval hub
• Hackers say Beijing secretly pays them at times, something the government denies
• Official: “The Chinese government does not do such a thing”

One hacker says he is a former computer operator in the People’s Liberation Army; another is a marketing graduate; and Xiao Chen says he is a self-taught programmer.

“First, you must know about the Web site you want to attack. You must know what program it is written with,” says Xiao Chen. “There is a saying, ‘Know about both yourself and the enemy, and you will be invincible.'”

White House hit multiple times by Chinese hackers

Hackers breach White House computers

Barack Obama meeting new economic team to discuss financial crisis

… in a stark sign of international issues to come for Mr Obama, it was reported that his campaign computer systems – as well as those of John McCain, his former Republican rival – had been the “victims of a sophisticated cyber attack”, in which a “serious amount of files” were stolen.

Newsweek magazine said that an FBI investigation had been launched into the summer attack, which they suspected had been the work of a “foreign entity” determined to gather policy information, which could have proved useful in negotiations with the future president. “Obama technical experts later speculated that the hackers were Russian or Chinese,” the magazine said.

Hackers hit both Presidential candidates this year

Cyber-attacks On The Presidential Campaign

Obama’s and McCain’s computers were the victims of some carefully planned cyber-attacks carried on by an unknown “foreign entity,” according to the explanation given by the FBI and the Secret Service.

“You have a problem way bigger than what you understand,” explained one of the agents talking to Obama’s team. “You have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off your system.” He also added that a similar situation was reported in McCain’s camp.

Candidates’ systems were probed for policy plans

Hacking for political reasons has emerged in recent years as a companion to traditional espionage. In 2007, Chinese government officials were accused of hacking government sites in the US, France, Germany and the UK.