China Launching More Sophisticated Cyber Attacks and Plans to Persist, Report Says

The offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers in St. Helier, Jersey, U.K., on April 12, 2017. That month, China-based hackers attacked PwC through its IT service providers. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

 

China doesn’t plan to cease conducting commercial espionage that benefits the central government, even as the U.S. is rolling out new, proactive cyber strategies to counter threats from Beijing, a new report by an Australian think tank says.

Furthermore, China’s hacking capabilities have gotten more sophisticated, with the intention of making the hacking harder to detect, according to a new report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

China: New missile, DF-41, expected to be deployed next year

China’s new weapon gives its military some powerful advantages. Picture: Greg Baker/AFP

 

BEIJING’S new missile is so precise, none of its launches have ended in failure. And this weapon is more than capable of hitting the United States.

In comparison, North Korea’s Hwasong-15, which was launched yesterday, has an estimated range of 13,000km.

China’s People Daily newspaper revealed the DF-41 could enter service as early as the first half of next year.

Military expert Yang Chengjun told a TV program broadcasted on China Central Television (CCTV) earlier this week the DF-41 is China’s latest strategic missile and was quick, mobile and precise.

China behind massive cyber-attack on Australian govt, says ABC report

A major cyber-attack against Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology that may have compromised potentially sensitive national security information is being blamed on China, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Wednesday.

The Bureau of Meteorology owns one of Australia’s largest supercomputers and the attack, which the ABC said occurred in recent days, may have allowed those responsible access to the Department of Defense through a linked network.

Militarisation warning for Antarctica as China and Iran show increasing interest

Australian academics have pointed to dangers that Antarctic bases are for the first time being militarised, despite the continent officially being called a land of peace and science.

Satellite systems at polar bases could be used to control offensive weapons, according to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and little could be done to prevent it due to the loose nature of the Antarctic Treaty rules.

The report highlights a Chinese base inland in the Australian Antarctic Territory for its satellite intelligence gathering potential and also flags Iran’s recent interest in establishing a polar presence.