China denies hacking Indian defence documents

The Chinese government has dismissed an academic report claiming that hackers in the country illegally accessed computers belonging to India’s Ministry of Defence

According to the report, entitled Shadows in the Cloud: Investigating Cyber Espionage 2.0, a ‘spy ring’ operating in China stole more than 700 documents from the ministry relating to the national security.

The same network also targeted the Dalai Lama and the United Nations, according to the report, which follows eight months of research. It hypothesises that political organisations are adopting techniques commonly used by cyber criminals in order to create “a climate of uncertainty”.

Chinese officials have strenuously denied any political involvement in the alleged hacking incidents, however. “Some people spread some information regarding the so- called China hacking activities. On this issue our policy is very clear and we are firmly opposed to all kinds of hacking activities through Internet," a spokesperson said, according to India’s Economic Times. "Hacking is an international crime and all nations should join hands to deal with hacking crimes".

Pete Swabey

Pete Swabey

Pete was Editor of Information Age and head of technology research for Vitesse Media plc from 2005 to 2013, before moving on to be Senior Editor and then Editorial Director at The Economist Intelligence...

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