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Chinese Cyber Spies Hit Dalai Lama, Foreign Offices

Some blame China for attacks on 1,300 computers

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 28, 2009 4:12 PM CDT

(Newser) – A  massive cyber spying effort launched from China has infiltrated the computers of hundreds of government agencies and private offices around the globe, including four connected to the Dalai Lama, the New York Times reports. Asked by the spiritual leader's office to investigate evidence of a breach, Canadian researchers discovered that malware swiped data from nearly 1,300 computers in 103 countries over the last 2 years, and it’s still going strong. The bug can even activate the camera and audio-recording functions of infected computers.

Researchers found no evidence that US government offices have been infiltrated, but a foreign embassy in Washington has been hit, and a dozen computers are being added a week. Despite the fact that the operation, dubbed GhostNet, has been controlled by computers in China, researchers cautioned against immediately blaming the government. It could be a for-profit ring or one run by "patriotic hackers," though the Times reports that information gleaned from the Dalai Lama's computers seems to have been used by Chinese officials.

The Dalai Lama asked researchers to check his computers for traces of malware.
The Dalai Lama asked researchers to check his computers for traces of malware.   (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia/file)
A vast electronic spying operation based in China has infiltrated computers and has stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices around the world.
A vast electronic spying operation based in China has infiltrated computers and has stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices around the world.   (Shutter Stock)
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These are old stories
and they are nonsense. The Chinese government is opposed to and strictly forbids any cybercrime. - Spokesman for the
Chinese Consulate, New York

What Chinese spooks did in 2008, Russian crooks will do in 2010 and even low-budget criminals from less developed countries will follow in due course. - Researchers Shishir Nagaraja and
Ross Anderson

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
HDMIJason
Jan 25, 2011 2:00 PM CST
so all those times you felt like you were being watched through your own camera...
Zebraone
Mar 29, 2009 3:17 AM CDT
Ah,yes! Norton! Who screws up more computers than the chinks!?
Guest
Mar 29, 2009 12:30 AM CDT
Norton Antivirus has just announced a patch for the malware dubbed 'Chinese Checkers'...

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