Report: Leaked Files Expose PRC International Hacking Efforts

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Facts

  • A cache containing leaked files alleged from a PRC state-linked group, which was posted on GitHub and experts consider to be authentic, indicates how Beijing works with hundreds of private hacking companies to obtain sensitive information from foreign governments and firms.1
  • The documents, which only list targets and summaries of sample data, come from Shanghai-based I-Soon — also known as Auxun — a firm that has reportedly signed hundreds of deals with Chinese police, including multi-year contracts costing as much as $800K.2
  • The dump reveals that the hacking group infiltrated accounts on platforms such as Microsoft, Apple, and X, breached telecommunications companies in Malaysia, and gained access to 95.2GB of immigration data from India as well as to 3TB of call logs from South Korea's LG U Plus.3
  • Additionally, according to a review by Bloomberg News, these documents show successful attacks on high-value government targets over the past years, from the UK Foreign Office to the Royal Thai Army to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.4
  • Two unnamed I-Soon employees reported that the company and Chinese police are investigating how the files were leaked, as its source remains unknown. I-Soon reportedly held a meeting on Wednesday, telling its employees that it wouldn't affect business significantly.5
  • This comes as the FBI Director warned allies at the Munich Cyber Security Conference last week that hackers affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party have infiltrated critical US infrastructure, including power stations and phone companies, and are poised to attack.6

Sources: 1The New York Times, 2Washington Post, 3BNN, 4Bloomberg, 5Associated Press and 6FOX News.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Business Insider. These leaked hacking documents corroborate long-made claims that China has indeed carried out widespread and effective cyber espionage both at home and abroad — stealing personal and corporate data at an unprecedented rate. China represents a massive threat to cyber security, it's about time for the free world to fight back.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. Beijing has firmly opposed and taken legal action against cyber attacks, even urging the international community to build a peaceful, open, cooperative, and orderly cyberspace. Yet, once again, the West is smearing China for alleged hacking operations only to cover up that America is the main hacking state in the world.

Predictions