China Stealing U.S. Computer Data, Says Commission

Via NewsFactor (Enterprise Security Today) -

The U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission predicted that China's cyber-activities "quite possibly will be exacerbated by China's growing need for natural resources to support its population and economy that it cannot obtain domestically. The United States should watch these trends closely and act to protect its interests."

A congressionally created commission has warned that China is stealing vast amounts of sensitive information from government and corporate computer networks in the U.S., including those of the nation's top defense contractors. This theft is part of China's preparation to outmaneuver the U.S. electronically in any future conflict, according to the bipartisan U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission.

The panel, established eight years ago, said in its annual report, released on Nov. 20: "China is targeting U.S. government and commercial computers for espionage."

The 10 most prominent U.S. defense contractors are believed to have been "victims of cyber-espionage through penetrations of their unclassified networks," the report said. Among them: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman.

The commission used its own analysts and investigators to compile information on data theft, based on input from defense, military, and intelligence agencies and specialists. Its findings echo the themes of several recent articles in BusinessWeek, which over the past 11 months has published a series on high-tech security threats to U.S. weapons systems and government and defense industry computer networks. The three main installments in the BusinessWeek series were based on previously undisclosed documents and interviews with more than 100 current and former government employees, defense industry executives, and people with ties to U.S. military, space, and intelligence agencies. They are: E-spionage, Dangerous Fakes, and The Taking of NASA's Secrets.