- Title: US and allies accuse China of global hacking spree
- Date: 19th July 2021
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (RECENT - JULY 1, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CELEBRATIONS OF 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA (CENTENNIAL OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA) AT TIANANMEN SQUARE
- Embargoed: 2nd August 2021 21:43
- Keywords: China Microsoft U.S. State Department global cyber espionage campaign
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK + REDMOND, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES / BEIJING, CHINA
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK + REDMOND, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES / BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA004EMICMRR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The United States charged four Chinese nationals - three security officials and one contract hacker - Monday (July 19) with targeting dozens of companies, universities and government agencies in the United States and abroad.
At the same time, the U.S. and its allies accused China of a global cyberespionage campaign, mustering an unusually broad coalition of countries to publicly call out Beijing for hacking.
The United States was joined by NATO, the European Union, Britain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada in condemning the spying, which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said posed "a major threat to our economic and national security."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chinese officials have previously said China is also a victim of hacking and opposes all forms of cyberattacks.
At an event about the administration's infrastructure plan, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters the Chinese government is "protecting those who are doing it" while not behind the plan itself.
While a flurry of statements from Western powers represent a broad alliance, cyber experts said the lack of consequences for China beyond the U.S. indictment was conspicuous. Just a month ago, summit statements by G7 and NATO warned China and said it posed threats to the international order.
The United States was much more specific, formally attributing intrusions such as the one that affected servers running Microsoft Exchange earlier this year to hackers affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security. Microsoft had already blamed China.
The United States and China have already been at loggerheads over trade, China's military buildup, disputes about the South China Sea, a crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong and treatment of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.
(Producer: Dan Fastenberg) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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