USA indicts Chinese hackers for data theft and cyber-espionage | DW News

Summary

US authorities have accused hackers of targeting managed service providers (MSPs), stealing sensitive data from leading corporations as part of a Chinese campaign named 'cloudhopper'. MSPs, entrusted with storing and protecting commercial data, were infiltrated multiple times. Over 90% of economic espionage cases in the past seven years involve China, with over two-thirds related to trade secret thefts. China has denied the allegations, calling them slanderous and demanding the US withdraw charges against two Chinese individuals.

Takeaways

• 🚨 Hackers targeted leading global corporations and breached technology companies' networks.
• 💻 The hackers specifically targeted companies that manage servers, storage, and other computing tasks remotely.
• 🔐 Stolen secrets belonged to the clients of these technology companies, which included sensitive business data.
• 🔎 The defendants are accused of compromising Managed Service Providers (MSPs), which handle commercial data and intellectual property.
• 🛡️ Breaching MSPs allows hackers to steal confidential business information, giving competitors an unfair advantage.
• 🌐 The hacking campaign, known as 'cloudhopper,' was allegedly orchestrated on behalf of China's intelligence service.
• 📅 The attacks infiltrated MSP networks repeatedly, with breaches lasting for extended periods, sometimes weeks or months.
• 📈 This case is part of a larger trend of state-sponsored hacking targeting US networks.
• 🇨🇳 More than 90% of US cases related to economic espionage over the last seven years involve China.
• 📉 The US-China relationship, already strained due to trade disputes, may worsen because of these hacking allegations.

Q & A

What types of companies were targeted by the hackers?

The hackers targeted technology companies that remotely manage servers, storage, and other computing tasks for clients.

Why is this hacking case considered significant?

The case is significant because the hackers targeted managed service providers (MSPs), which are trusted to store and protect sensitive business data, giving the attackers access to confidential business information.

What kind of information did the hackers allegedly steal?

The hackers allegedly stole sensitive business information, including intellectual property and other confidential business data.

What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP), and why were they targeted?

An MSP is a firm that manages and protects commercial data for its clients. The hackers targeted MSPs to gain access to their clients' sensitive business information.

How long did the breaches of the MSP networks last?

The breaches lasted for weeks and months, with multiple infiltrations of the MSP networks.

Who are the defendants accused of working for?

The defendants are accused of working on behalf of China's intelligence service.

What was the name of the alleged Chinese campaign involved in these attacks?

The campaign is known as 'cloudhopper,' which allegedly involved Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

What has the US Department of Justice revealed about state-sponsored hacking trends?

The deputy attorney general noted a trend of state-sponsored hackers, primarily from China, breaking into US networks.

What percentage of US cases involving economic espionage are connected to China?

More than 90 percent of the US Department of Justice's cases alleging economic espionage over the past seven years involve China.

How has China responded to the US allegations of industrial espionage?

China has rejected the US allegations, calling them slanderous, and has demanded the withdrawal of charges against two alleged Chinese hackers.

Outlines

00:00

🔐 US Corporations Targeted by Hackers

Hackers attacked leading global corporations by breaching the networks of technology companies that remotely manage servers, storage, and computing tasks. They accessed sensitive business secrets from clients, posing a significant threat. These companies, known as managed service providers (MSPs), are trusted with handling intellectual property and confidential information. Gaining access to MSPs allowed the hackers to steal sensitive data, giving competitors an unfair advantage.

🌐 Chinese Campaign and US Allegations

The hacking incidents are linked to a Chinese campaign called 'cloudhopper,' with the alleged attackers working on behalf of China’s intelligence service. The hackers infiltrated MSP networks repeatedly over extended periods, with breaches lasting weeks or months. The US Department of Justice highlights a broader trend of state-sponsored hacking, particularly from China. Over 90% of economic espionage cases in the US over the past seven years involve China, and more than two-thirds of trade secret theft cases have Chinese connections.

⚖️ China Denies Allegations Amid Strained Relations

China has strongly denied the US's accusations of industrial espionage, calling them slanderous. Beijing's Foreign Ministry demands that the US withdraw its charges against the two alleged Chinese hackers. This dispute exacerbates the already tense relationship between the US and China, which has been strained by ongoing trade conflicts.

Keywords

💡Hackers

Hackers are individuals or groups that gain unauthorized access to computer systems to steal, alter, or destroy data. In the video, the hackers targeted leading global corporations, breaching networks of technology companies that manage sensitive data. These actions form the core of the cybersecurity issue discussed in the video.

💡Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

MSPs are companies that manage IT services for other businesses, including data storage, security, and server management. The video highlights that MSPs were a primary target of the hackers because of the sensitive commercial data they handle. The breach of MSPs allowed hackers to steal intellectual property and confidential business information.

💡Intellectual Property

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, designs, and trade secrets, which are protected by law. In the video, hackers stole intellectual property from companies by infiltrating MSPs, giving competitors an unfair advantage. This emphasizes the significance of the information that was compromised.

💡Cloudhopper

Cloudhopper is the name of a cyber espionage campaign allegedly conducted by Chinese hackers. The campaign involved infiltrating networks of MSPs to steal data from their clients. The video attributes the attacks to this campaign, underlining its scale and the long-term nature of the breaches.

💡Economic Espionage

Economic espionage refers to the theft of trade secrets or proprietary information for economic gain, often to benefit a foreign nation. The video mentions that over 90% of the US Department of Justice's cases involving economic espionage in the past seven years are linked to China, which highlights the gravity of the situation.

💡Trade Secrets

Trade secrets are confidential business information that provides a company with a competitive edge. In the video, the hackers allegedly stole trade secrets from companies through the MSP breaches, which could harm the affected businesses by providing their competitors with an unfair advantage.

💡China’s Intelligence Service

China’s intelligence service refers to government agencies responsible for gathering intelligence and conducting espionage activities. In the video, the hackers are accused of working on behalf of China’s intelligence service, which suggests state-sponsored cyber-attacks aimed at obtaining sensitive business information.

💡State-Sponsored Hackers

State-sponsored hackers are individuals or groups supported by a government to conduct cyber-attacks for political or economic purposes. The video discusses how the Chinese government is accused of sponsoring hackers to infiltrate MSPs, which is part of a broader trend of state-backed cyber-attacks against the US.

💡US-China Relations

US-China relations refer to the diplomatic, economic, and political interactions between the United States and China. The video notes that the hacking allegations have further strained the already tense relations between the two countries, which are also affected by trade conflicts and other disputes.

💡Industrial Espionage

Industrial espionage involves the theft of trade secrets or proprietary information by a company or nation to gain a competitive advantage. The video ties China’s alleged hacking activities to industrial espionage, with the aim of benefiting Chinese industries through stolen data from US companies.

Highlights

Hackers targeted leading corporations' networks.

Breaches involved technology companies managing servers and storage.

Theft of secrets from clients' networks.

Defendants accused of compromising Managed Service Providers (MSPs).

MSPs are entrusted with storing and protecting commercial data.

Hackers can steal sensitive business information from MSPs.

Attacks part of a Chinese campaign named 'cloudhopper'.

Defendants allegedly worked for China's intelligence service.

MSPs' networks were infiltrated repeatedly.

Breaches lasted for weeks and months.

Deputy attorney general links it to state-sponsored hacking trends.

Over 90% of economic espionage cases in the past seven years involve China.

More than two-thirds of trade secret theft cases are connected to China.

China rejects allegations of industrial espionage.

Chinese Foreign Ministry calls the accusations slanderous.

China demands the US withdraw charges against two alleged hackers.

Dispute may strain US-China relations further amid trade conflict.

Transcripts

According to US authorities, the hackers targeted some of the world's leading corporations.

They breached the networks of technology companies which remotely manage servers, storage and

other computing tasks and then stole secrets from their clients.

This case is significant because the defendants are accused of targeting and compromising

managed service providers or MSPs.

MSPs are firms that are trusted to store, process and protect commercial data, including

intellectual property and other confidential business information.

When hackers gain access to MSPs they can steal sensitive business information that

gives competitors an unfair advantage.

The attacks were allegedly part of a Chinese campaign known as cloudhopper, with the defendants

working on behalf of China's intelligence service.

The managed service providers' networks were infiltrated multiple times in breaches that

lasted for weeks and months.

The deputy attorney general described it as part of a trend of state-sponsored hackers

breaking into US networks.

More than 90 percent of the department's cases alleging economic espionage over the past

seven years involve China.

More than two thirds of the department's cases involving thefts of trade secrets are connected

to China.

China has rejected the USA's allegations of industrial espionage . the Foreign Ministry

in Beijing is calling the accusations slanderous.

They also state that the US would also have to withdraw its charges against two alleged

hackers from China.

This dispute is likely to further burden the already strained relations between the US

and China due to the trade conflict.