Cyberwarfare by China

List of related APTs

Australia

In May 2013, ABC News claimed that the Chinese government stole blueprints to the headquarters of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).^[47] In May 2023, Australia, alongside other Five Eyes member states, identified the Chinese government behind the "Volt Typhoon" advanced persistent threat targeting critical infrastructure.^[48] In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including the Australian Signals Directorate, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

Canada

Officials in the Canadian government claimed that Chinese hackers compromised several departments within the federal government in early 2011, though the Chinese government has denied involvement.^[51] In 2014, Canada's Chief Information Officer claimed that Chinese hackers compromised computer systems within the National Research Council.^[52] In May 2023, Canada's Communications Security Establishment identified the Chinese government as being behind the "Volt Typhoon" advanced persistent threat targeting critical infrastructure.^[53] In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

Germany

In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including Germany's Federal Intelligence Service and Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

India

Officials in the Indian government believe that attacks on Indian government networks, such as the attack on the Indian National Security Council, have originated from China. According to the Indian government, Chinese hackers are experts in operating botnets, which were used in these attacks.^[54] Additionally, other instances of Chinese cyberattacks against India's cyberspace have been reported in multitude.^[55][56]

Japan

In April 2021, Japan claimed that the Chinese military ordered cyberattacks on about 200 Japanese companies and research institutes, including JAXA.^[57] In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including Japan's National Police Agency, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

The Netherlands

In 2024, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service and the General Intelligence and Security Service stated that Chinese state hackers penetrated a Dutch military network the prior year.^[58]

New Zealand

In May 2023, New Zealand, alongside other Five Eyes member states, named the Chinese government as being behind the "Volt Typhoon" advanced persistent threat targeting critical infrastructure.^[59] In March 2024, the Government Communications Security Bureau and New Zealand Government accused the Chinese government via APT40 of breaching its parliamentary network in 2021.^[60] In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including the New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

South Korea

In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including South Korea's National Intelligence Service, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

United States

The United States has accused China of cyberwarfare attacks that targeted the networks of important American military, commercial, research, and industrial organizations. A Congressional advisory group has declared China "the single greatest risk to the security of American technologies"^[61] and "there has been a marked increase in cyber intrusions originating in China and targeting U.S. government and defense-related computer systems".^{[61][62][63][64]} China's cyberwarfare has expanded from cyber-espionage to "pre-positioning" activity for the sabotage and crippling of critical infrastructure.^[65]

In January 2010, Google reported targeted attacks on its corporate infrastructure originating from China "that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google." Gmail accounts belonging to two human rights activists were compromised in an attack on Google's password system.^[66] Chinese hackers also gained access to a database containing classified information about suspected spies, agents, and terrorists under surveillance by the US government.^[67] American security experts connected the Google attack to various other political and corporate espionage efforts originating from China, which included spying against military, commercial, research, and industrial corporations.^[64] Obama administration officials called the cyberattacks "an increasingly serious cyber threat to US critical industries."^[62]

In addition to Google, at least 34 other companies have been attacked. Reported cases include Northrop Grumman, Symantec, Yahoo, Dow Chemical, and Adobe Systems.^[68] Cyber-espionage has been aimed at both commercial and military interests.^[69]

Diplomatic cables highlight US concerns that China is exploiting its access to Microsoft source code to boost its offensive and defensive capabilities.^[70]

A number of private computer security firms have stated that they have growing evidence of cyber-espionage efforts originating from China, including the "Comment Group".^[71]

China has denied accusations of cyberwarfare,^[72] and has accused the United States of engaging in cyber-warfare against it, accusations which the United States denies.^{[73][74][75][76][77]}

In 2011, a Chinese state TV program displayed outdated screenshots of a Chinese military institute performing cyber attacks on a US-based dissident entity.^[78] The direct visual evidence from an official Chinese source challenges China's claims that it never engages in overseas hacking for government purposes.^[78]

During March 2013, high-level discussions continued.^[79]

In May 2014, a federal grand jury in the United States indicted five PLA Unit 61398 officers on charges of theft of confidential business information from U.S. commercial firms and planting malware on their computers.^[80][81]

In September 2014, a Senate Armed Services Committee probe revealed hackers associated with the Chinese government committing various intrusions of computer systems belonging to U.S. airlines, technology companies and other contractors involved with the movement of U.S. troops and military equipment,^[82] and in October 2014, The FBI added that hackers, who they believe to be backed by the Chinese government, have recently launched attacks on U.S. companies.^[83]

In 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that it had been the target of a data breach targeting the records of as many as 21.5 million people.^[84] The Washington Post reported that the attack came from China, citing unnamed government officials.^[85] FBI director James Comey explained "it is a very big deal from a national security perspective and a counterintelligence perspective. It's a treasure trove of information about everybody who has worked for, tried to work for, or works for the United States government."^[86]

In October 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek published a report, citing unnamed corporate and governmental sources, which claimed that the PLA had forced Supermicro's Chinese sub-contractors to add microchips with hardware backdoors to its servers. The report claimed that the compromised servers had been sold to U.S. government divisions (including the CIA and Department of Defense) and contractors and at least 30 commercial clients.^[87]

In 2019, a study showed continued attacks on the US Navy and its industrial partners.^[88]

In February 2020, a US federal grand jury charged four members of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) with the 2017 Equifax hack.^[89] The official account of FBI stated on Twitter that they played a role in "one of the largest thefts of personally identifiable information by state-sponsored hackers ever recorded".^[90]

The Voice of America reported in April 2020 that "U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the Chinese hackers meddled in both the 2016 and 2018 elections" and said "there have already been signs that China-allied hackers have engaged in so-called "spear-phishing" attacks on American political targets" ahead of the 2020 United States elections.^[91]

In March 2021, United States intelligence community released analysis in finding that China had considered interfering with the election but decided against it on concerns it would fail or backfire.^[92]

In April 2021, FireEye said that suspected Chinese hackers used a zero-day attack against Pulse Connect Secure devices, a VPN device, in order to spy on dozens of government, defense industry and financial targets in the U.S. and Europe.^{[93][94][95][96]}

In May 2023, Microsoft and Western intelligence agencies reported that a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group affiliated with the PLA called "Volt Typhoon" had targeted critical infrastructure and military installations in Guam, Hawaii, Texas and elsewhere.^[97][98][99] In January 2024, US authorities stated that they disrupted an operation by Volt Typhoon that had access to critical infrastructure in the US for at least five years.^[100][101]

In February 2024, OpenAI announced that it had shut down accounts used by the Charcoal Typhoon and Salmon Typhoon hacking groups. The groups had been using their services to research companies, intelligence agencies, cybersecurity tools and evasion techniques, translate technical papers, write and refactor code, and create phishing campaign content.^[102][103] The same month, leaked documents from an MSS, PLA, and MPS contractor based in Shanghai called I-Soon, also known as Auxun, provided details into a campaign to harass dissidents, activists, critical academics, and Uyghurs overseas.^{[104][105][106]}

In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50] In September 2024, FBI director Christopher A. Wray announced that Chinese state hacking campaign known as Flax Typhoon, which targeted critical infrastructure, had been disrupted.^[107][108]

In October 2024, backdoors mandated by the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, which forces internet providers to provide backdoors for government authorities,^[109][110] were found to have been employed by China to tap communications in the U.S. using that infrastructure for months, or perhaps longer;^[111] China recorded presidential candidate campaign office phone calls —including employees of the then-vice president of the nation– and of the candidates themselves.^[112]

In November 2024, Texas governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to harden critical infrastructure from cyberattacks from threats emanating from the PRC.^[113] In December 2024, the U.S. moved to crack down on China Telecom's cloud operations in the U.S. in response to the 2024 United States telecommunications hack.^[114] The same month, Chinese state-backed hackers were accused of obtaining a security key and accessing unclassified documents of the United States Department of the Treasury.^[115][116] In December 2024, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Integrity Technology Group, an organization believed to be behind the Flax Typhoon APT.^[117][118]

In January 2025, the computers of the US Secretary of the Treasury and several of her lieutenants were accessed by Chinese hackers.^[119]

Taiwan

Comparing the semiconductor industry in China mainland and Taiwan today, Taiwan is the leader in terms of overall competitiveness. On 6 August 2020, Wired published a report, stating that "Taiwan has faced existential conflict with China for its entire existence and has been targeted by China's state-sponsored hackers for years. But an investigation by one Taiwanese security firm has revealed just how deeply a single group of Chinese hackers was able to penetrate an industry at the core of the Taiwanese economy, pillaging practically its entire semiconductor industry."^[120]

Ukraine

In April 2022, The Times reported that days prior to the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a cyberwarfare unit of the People's Liberation Army launched cyberattacks against hundreds of Ukrainian government sites, according to officials of the Security Service of Ukraine.^[121][122]

United Kingdom

In May 2023, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, alongside other Five Eyes member states, identified the Chinese government behind the "Volt Typhoon" advanced persistent threat targeting critical infrastructure.^[48][123]

In March 2024, the UK government and the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) jointly sanctioned a Chinese MSS front company called Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology and affiliated individuals for breaching the Electoral Commission and placing malware in critical infrastructure.^[124][125]

In July 2024, government agencies from eight nations, including the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, released a joint advisory on APT40.^[49][50]

The Vatican

In July 2020, it was reported that Chinese state-sponsored hackers operating under the named RedDelta hacked the Vatican's computer network ahead of negotiations between China and the Vatican.^[126]