FBI Director discusses the operations of a Chinese hacker network
The FBI Director discussed the operations of a Chinese hacker network (photo: freepik.com)
China has the largest network of cyber spies in the world. In terms of scale, it surpasses hacker networks in all major countries, states FBI Director, Chris Ray.
"China already has a bigger hacking program than every other major nation combined," Wray said. "If each one of the FBI's cyber agents and intelligence analysts focused on China exclusively, Chinese hackers would still outnumber our cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1," said Ray.
China has repeatedly denied using hackers for espionage against the United States. Last month, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. stated that American officials and media often "exaggerate" espionage accusations related to China.
Chinese hackers stole personal data of US officials
In July, hackers affiliated with Beijing gained access to the email of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns as part of a espionage operation.
Additionally, the hacking group Storm-0558, linked to espionage activities, had previously breached a number of email accounts associated with governmental entities in Western Europe. It's known that the hackers gained access to the email data of approximately 25 organizations.
According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Chinese hackers also gained access to and stole non-sensitive Exchange Online Outlook data. Microsoft's Executive Vice President, Charlie Bell, stated that the Storm-0558 group is focused on espionage, such as gaining access to email systems for intelligence gathering purposes.
