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According to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, many of the cyber attacks in the United States appear to originate in China. Although hackers are difficult to trace, circumstantial and forensic evidence point to the involvement of the Chinese communist regime. The regime's efforts focus on collecting intelligence on U.S. targets and Chinese dissident groups.
Australia, U.K. Take Action
This year both the United Kingdom and Australia also announced plans to step up cybersecurity. In July, the U.K. government published its first cybersecurity strategy in order to implement a coherent approach to the growing problem.
On Nov. 23, Australia's attorney general, Robert McClelland, introduced Australia’s first comprehensive cybersecurity plan. The strategy establishes Australian intelligence, cyber, and policing agencies' roles and responsibilities to protect Australian Internet users. The strategy also creates a new Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT Australia, which will begin operating in January 2010.
Australia's cybersecurity strategy details objectives to "defend economic institutions, critical infrastructure, government agencies, businesses, and home users from cyber threats,” said McClelland in a press release.
Fact Box:
In May 2008, U.S. authorities investigated whether Chinese regime officials secretly copied contents of a U.S. government laptop during a visit to China by the U.S. commerce secretary and used the information to try to penetrate into Commerce computers. The investigation is ongoing.
In April 2008, Indian government officials confirmed that its Ministry of External Affairs’ computer network and servers were the victims of intrusions that appeared to originate in China.
In May 2008, the Belgian government reported that it had been targeted by hackers from the Chinese communist regime, multiple times.
