Notes

The United States has Just Called China out for Hacking. Here's What You Need To Know

What is important: How important is it to matter that the US and its allies accuse China of widespread cyberspace misdeeds?



BF: It's quite a big deal. One is that the Biden administration has centered more on Russian hacking than Chinese hacking up to now and has increased awareness of malicious Chinese cyber-related activities. Another thing to note is that while previous US administrations have been willing to blame China for hacking, it's notable that this time the US had so many other countries and allies involved.



This is the first time that NATO has condemned Chinese cyberattacks. There are many NATO members with tense relations with China, so cybersecurity experts consider it a win that the US was able to present an unifying front. The coordinated accusations also set the stage for possible sanctions in the future which could lead to further sanctions.



What Matters: An official told CNN that China's activities comprise "cyber-enabled extortion, crypto-jacking and theft of victims across the world to make money" and ransomware-related attacks. How serious are these activities?



BF The ransomware we've seen in the cases of oil pipelines and meatpacking can be a major issue right now. If it isn't dealt with immediately it can cause significant damage. BY WOW DAD Crypto-jacking, also known as the use of malicious software that enslaves a computer's resources to quietly generate cryptocurrency, isn't widely talked about but also shows how inventive hackers can be when it comes to making money from their victims.



Monday's Biden administration described the actors as "criminal contract hackers" who hack for Beijing but also for personal gain.



What Matters: Biden said he isn't imposing sanctions on China for its role in the world, as his team continues to determine the extent of Beijing's actions. What's the process for these investigations? And why does it take so long?



BF: Since hackers can employ virtual private networks, cloud-based servers, as well as other techniques and tools to hide their true locations, it can be really difficult to trace a cyberattack back to its origins. Experts usually have to employ sophisticated forensic techniques that include the comparison of code fragments and searching for patterns to make an educated guess as to the groups that could be responsible for an attack. Even then, officials often refuse to attribute the attack to any specific group by declaring how confident and confident they are.



In this case, US officials said they have a high level of certainty that Chinese state-sponsored hackers are responsible for the Microsoft Exchange hacks and other criminal cyber activities.



What is important: What types of vulnerabilities have cyberattacks against the US exposed?



BF The same vulnerabilities that information security experts warn about. According to the Department of Homeland Security Chinese hackers have tried to track targets in aerospace, education defense, defense, education, health care, manufacturing, and other major economic sectors. In many instances, Chinese hackers are accused of attempting to steal intellectual property and trade secrets -- and as part of the announcement this week that the Justice Department indicted several more alleged Chinese hackers for doing exactly that.



What is essential: What should people be aware of in order to move forward?



BF: US officials have urged businesses and organisations to keep their software and systems up-to-date , and to develop emergency plans in case of a cyberattack. They also urge users to save offline backups that can be used to recover from ransomware-related attacks without the need to pay hackers.



From a policy perspective From a policy perspective, keep an eye out for possible additional punitive measures taken by the US and its allies against China and any effects that might affect the crucial and intricate economic relationship between the two countries.


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