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China Expands Cyberspying In US, Report Says

An anonymous reader writes "A new report published by The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission wags a finger at the People's Republic of China for conducting Internet-borne espionage operations against United States high-tech companies. The paper, written by defense giant Northrop Grumman, provides a detailed case study of one such intrusion that moved large volumes of sensitive tech data out of a US firm in 2007. From a Wall Street Journal article, '"The case study is absolutely clearly controlled and directed with a specific purpose to get at defense technology in a related group of companies," said Larry Wortzel, vice chairman of the commission and a former U.S. Army attaché in China. "There's no doubt that that's state-controlled."' Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, criticized the commission as "a product of Cold War mentality" that was "put in place to pick China to pieces." He added: "Accusations of China conducting, or 'likely conducting' as the commission's report indicates, cyberspace attacks or espionage against the US are unfounded and unwarranted.'"

186 comments

  1. Checking by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 5, Funny

    China is just checking to see where all it it's money is going.

    1. Re:Checking by Wowsers · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And America is NOT spying on China?

      --
      Take Nobody's Word For It.
    2. Re:Checking by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's is a contraction of "it is" or "it has."
      Its is the possessive form of "it."

    3. Re:Checking by Thanshin · · Score: 1

      Bob: "It, Could you lend me the red pen for a sec?".
      Its: "NO! It's mine! Get your own red pen!"

    4. Re:Checking by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And America is NOT spying on China?

      Does it matter? Sure - some element is going to be all outraged. After all, who isn't shocked to find gambling going on? But really this is all about pointing out that there is, indeed, an issue that needs to be addressed. And if we don't address it, we have nobody but ourselves to blame.

    5. Re:Checking by WaywardGeek · · Score: 1

      Hey, it's only evil when they do it. China spying on the US isn't exactly new. It use to be (still is?) common for China to pay US immigrants to be spies, and not just a few - many thousands of them. I have a friend who caught Japanese industrial spies taking apart a stepper machine used to make ICs. It's pretty rampant.

      On the positive side, spying leads to transparency, and helps ease tensions between powers. Of course, I'd prefer that the US maintain some sort of military technology lead, given that we pay for it.

      --
      Celebrate failure, and then learn from it - Nolan Bushnell
    6. Re:Checking by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Of course the US is spying on China. What's amusing about this is that the Chinese government appears to think everyone else is complete simpering retards.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    7. Re:Checking by jayme0227 · · Score: 1

      One more reason to move all sensitive data offline, at least in relation to certain sectors of both the government and economy. It takes just one idiot to put everything in danger.

      --
      But then I realized the cable was blue, so I only gave it one star. I hate blue.
    8. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "No, its mine!" would have been correct, GP is right. Stop trying to correct people who are already correct.

    9. Re:Checking by fprintf · · Score: 1

      Wait, so what is the relationship/proof of Chinese spying here? That your friend caught some Japanese spies?

      --
      This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
    10. Re:Checking by Teancum · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Naw.... America is too busy spying on its own citizens to care even in the little bit that comes from abroad.

      Of course, the same could be said about China. This inter-governmental spying is just the small stuff in the grand scheme of things. Both countries are far more paranoid about their own citizens than by anything another country could do.

    11. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And America is NOT spying on China?

      Are you actually suggesting that our spying legitimizes their spying?

      Where the fuck were you raised that allowed you to conceive such a thought? You sound like a totalitarian, so clearly you're not a patriotic citizen of the US.

    12. Re:Checking by Teancum · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The "People's Liberation Army" has an entire battalion that is dedicated to hacking "the West" and conducting electronic intelligence gathering via the internet. That most of these folks do their stuff in China is besides the point.... which by definition is "legal" as it is officially sanctioned by that government.

      Of course the U.S. Air Force also has a similar team (I don't know how large of a unit) that does essentially the same thing on behalf of the U.S. Government.

      Perhaps the original commentary is paranoia based upon actions of the U.S. government.... realizing that if they can screw somebody else, we must be getting screwed too. I'd call that fairly good proof.

    13. Re:Checking by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Objection! Relevance!

      Didn't anybody tell you as a child that two wrongs didn't make a right? Regardless of the US' spying capabilities, the issues brought up in the article are still issues.

      Especially since China is spying on US companies, while the US is (probably!) only spying on Chinese government/military networks. (Which, while arguably morally wrong, is at least accepted as a fact of life.)

    14. Re:Checking by Red+Flayer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Especially since China is spying on US companies, while the US is (probably!) only spying on Chinese government/military networks. (Which, while arguably morally wrong, is at least accepted as a fact of life.)

      Ha ha. Very funny. We're talking about defense contractors here. Effectively, they *ARE* part of the government. In the same way that some of the semi-private companies in China that the US spies on are effectively part of the Chinese government.

      The line between government and private corporation is very blurry these days (and always has been, for 'defense contractors').

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    15. Re:Checking by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      In China the corporations and the state are pretty much the same thing.

      The US is entirely different.

      You see in a free country business and government are separate. It's just that the people who run them all went to the same schools, are members of the same clubs and play golf together.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    16. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You see in a free country...

      In a free country...
      Hahahahaha!!!

    17. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      You're one of those guys who laughs at all the wrong places during Idiocracy, aren't you?

    18. Re:Checking by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 1

      Didn't anybody tell you as a child that two wrongs didn't make a right?

      Is spying wrong? I can't make up my mind.

    19. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Especially since China is spying on US companies, while the US is (probably!) only spying on Chinese government/military networks."

      Fair is fair. Each attacking only where the real power is located.

    20. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shouldn't it be MORE shocking if china wasn't spying on us? If our counterintelligence found no spy activity then I'd be worried we weren't good enough to detect them or something else was going on because all countries spy on each and one would expect china to spy.

    21. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't anybody tell you as a child that two wrongs didn't make a right?

      Of course, as long as I'm doing the first wrong.

    22. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Especially since China is spying on US companies, while the US is (probably!) only spying on Chinese government/military networks.

      LOL. Search for Echelon and Corporate Spying and edumacate yourself. You'll find that we happily spy on our allies and enemies alike, and use whatever means possible to maximize economic gains. And spying is arguably one of the more civilized ways.

    23. Re:Checking by bored_lurker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And America is NOT spying on China?

      You know, I have been teaching my daughter logic and we have been studying false arguments. We just covered tu quoque - thanks for the example!

      --
      --- Tolerance is the axiomatic "virtue" of those without convictions ---
    24. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two Wongs don't make a right.

    25. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the majority of yanks actually voted them into the white house.

    26. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're one of those guys who laughs at all the wrong places during Idiocracy, aren't you?

      Yes. I also laugh at the right ones.

    27. Re:Checking by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1

      Shouldn't it be MORE shocking if china wasn't spying on us?

      The shock I'm talking about is somewhat less-than-genuine.

    28. Re:Checking by wmspider · · Score: 1

      Especially since China is spying on US companies, while the US is (probably!) only spying on Chinese government/military networks.

      Well, in China pretty much everything is controlled by the government, so the US might as well "only spy on Chinese government" to get the same amount of information...

    29. Re:Checking by microbee · · Score: 1

      Especially since China is spying on US companies, while the US is (probably!) only spying on Chinese government/military networks.

      You say 'probably', so you don't really know. So what's the point?

      Or maybe because when China points fingers to the US, you don't really get to see the news by the US media coverage.

    30. Re:Checking by rtb61 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Spying also leads to corruption and blackmail, both of which readily escalate into violent crime. So you are exposing the development of criminal elements within other countries, people who will lie, cheat, steal and kill, in order to profit via industrial and government espionage. There is also a well recognised tie between organised crime and private espionage 'contractors', so you are also supporting the concept that governments sponsor organised crime in other countries and, well, tough luck for all the innocents who get harmed along the way.

      When governments institute laws that attempt legalise the criminal activities of their agents in other countries, they are bound by the criminal injustice of those laws and the activities they promote. These concepts are all bound to the idea, that other countries citizens are somehow sub-human and are not entitled to justice and thus can be exploited, for what ever purpose profits your country.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    31. Re:Checking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't anybody tell you as a child that two wrongs didn't make a right? Regardless of the US' spying capabilities, the issues brought up in the article are still issues.

      They told me that yeah - then they took away my toy to highlight why I shouldn't steal from other children. Two wrongs might not make a right - but at least they even shit up a bit. If you're going to spy on them, they're going spy on you. If you're going to take anything from this report, its that once again IT security in US (both corporate and Government) sucks.

    32. Re:Checking by banished · · Score: 1

      And America is NOT spying on China?

      Current U.S. law prohibits cyber attacks against systems in other nation-states.

    33. Re:Checking by iamangry · · Score: 1

      No, what do technology could we possibly steal from them? Tech espionage is an asymmetric battlefield.

  2. Let me be the first to say it: by kheldan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The notion that China is NOT doing the things they are accused of in this story is utter and complete bullshit .

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Informative

      The notion that China is NOT doing the things they are accused of in this story is utter and complete bullshit .

      Allow me to second this notion and also point out that the ambassador nor anyone from China will address the reports concern's item by item precisely because much of this is common knowledge. Why doesn't the ambassador deny the reports of a civilian based 'information war militia' being formed in Yongning County as the report alleges?

      The phrase "Cold War Mentality" is thrown around too much these days. The problem with the original cold war mentality was several fold. One point being that the buildup of nuclear weapons was not only a threat to the countries who intended to use them against each other but a threat to the entire world. In addition the two countries did not exact harm directly upon each other but rather used countries like Vietnam, Afghanistan and Cuba as conflict points ... putting those innocents in a very dire situation for years to come. While the buildup between China and the United States is a threat to the internet and networks internal to those countries, it is unlikely these wars will be fought in puppet theaters. This is not a cold war mentality nor is the United States anywhere close to creating another Cold War scenario.

      This is an issue between China and the United States, it's not a 'Cold War mentality' when you're keeping tabs on threats to you. Every country does it. The fear here is that China is dipping into/forcing a civilian base to partake in information warfare. If we were writing this report about being afraid of China for it's pool of computer science resources, we would be much more afraid of India--the largest pool of information technology.

      If country A developed a militia or civilian based attack (physical or cyber) on country B, country B will address the threat. If China is claiming this report is full of lies, let them address and disprove this report instead of using vague concepts to discredit the United States. Don't hold your breath.

      --
      My work here is dung.
    2. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Publikwerks · · Score: 1

      So what your saying is we need to outsource our cyber-warfare to India?

    3. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by couchslug · · Score: 1

      It is the duty of every government to spy on the competition for both military and economic information. The Chinese, US, and any other government would be negligent if they didn't look for every advantage.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    4. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by eldavojohn · · Score: 2, Funny

      So what your saying is we need to outsource our cyber-warfare to India?

      Yes. And apparently our grammour to Great Britain.

      --
      My work here is dung.
    5. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Publikwerks · · Score: 0

      I find it double-plus good that when the the revolution comes, the grammar nazi's will be the first to go

    6. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Culture20 · · Score: 1

      While the buildup between China and the United States is a threat to the internet and networks internal to those countries, it is unlikely these wars will be fought in puppet theaters.

      Puppet theaters like zombie civilian PCs around the world?

    7. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Red+Flayer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Allow me to second this notion and also point out that the ambassador nor anyone from China will address the reports concern's item by item precisely because much of this is common knowledge. Why doesn't the ambassador deny the reports of a civilian based 'information war militia' being formed in Yongning County as the report alleges?

      ...

      If China is claiming this report is full of lies, let them address and disprove this report instead of using vague concepts to discredit the United States. Don't hold your breath.

      If Glenn Beck did NOT rape and kill a girl in 1990, let him address the claims and disprove them.
      /sarcasm

      You talk about problems with the Cold War mentality, but what you're addressing is just problems with nuclear weapons technology (MAD necessitating the need for war via proxy). The Cold War mentality that is being talked about is something different... it is about demonization of your economic and cultural rival, and polarization of the world political stage. You think the term is used too often... maybe it's because you're unclear on what is meant by use of the term?

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    8. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      grammar nazi's

      Well, until the revolution gets here you still aren't allowed to use apostrophes to pluralize.

    9. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is an issue between China and the United States,
      Actually, this is NOT an issue between China and America. It is an issue between China and the west. China is not just trying to undermine America, it is the entire west. That includes all countries that are west friendly. For example, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and India are slowly being intimidated. China is now pointing 1000's of missiles at Taiwan. In addition, they have started a new build-up of Missiles, and general military along the Indian border and is trying to lay claim to land that was decided over 100 years ago. They have started to grab water resources and are laying claim to areas of India that rich in natural resources. They did the same thing in 62 just before they attacked. This time, they have 8-10 ICBM launching subs as well as a quickly increasing number of missiles on that border.

      Within the next decade, possibly 5 years, China is about to get VERY aggressive.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    10. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Cold War mentality that is being talked about is something different... it is about demonization of your economic and cultural rival, and polarization of the world political stage. You think the term is used too often... maybe it's because you're unclear on what is meant by use of the term?

      If you're right about its meaning, I find it odd that it was the Cold War to define this and not every other conflict prior to the Cold War. Demonizing your your economic and cultural rival is nothing new and can probably be traced back prior to agriculture if records existed.

    11. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1

      The reason the Cold War was different is because of the polarization of the world political stage without direct military aggression.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    12. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Publikwerks · · Score: 1

      What are you's gonna do about it? Send me to grammer jail? Ridicule me on the internet? Pleaze

    13. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by metrix007 · · Score: 1

      Sure, because you're in a position to know.

      Personally, I'd be much more concerned with the US and having an illegal base in Cuba and kidnapping and detaining innocent people unlawfully.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    14. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by networkBoy · · Score: 2, Funny

      The Spanish Inquisition!

      Bet you didn't expect that, HA!

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    15. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by suso · · Score: 1

      The notion that China is NOT doing the things they are accused of in this story is utter and complete bullshit .

      I'll second, third and fourth that. Either Wang Baodong is a complete idiot or he's just trying to cover things up.

    16. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1

      Within the next decade, possibly 5 years, China is about to get VERY aggressive.

      I think that timeline is a bit aggressive. There's been detente over Taiwan for almost a decade already.

      China will bide its time as long as its economy keeps moving along.

      What scares me is when China needs an active external enemy to keep its population compliant with government. I don't know how long that will be, but I think we're looking at a generation or two, not less than a decade. There is significant upward mobility still possible in China, without them having to resort to war.

      They have started to grab water resources and are laying claim to areas of India that rich in natural resources.

      The water resources are important, and that is one of the things you mentioned that could possibly trigger something early. But I'm curious about your claim that China is laying claim to Indian territory... can you point me in the direction of some further reading on this? I haven't heard anything about it, just about the standard Tibet, etc, issues.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    17. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by MaWeiTao · · Score: 4, Informative

      Let me tell you, China doesn't need those missiles pointed at Taiwan. All they need is to do is coerce Taiwan economically the same way they're doing with the US. With Taiwan's new administration there has been more openness between the two nations. For a few decades now Taiwanese have been conduction business in China, but in recent years their relationship as gotten quite a bit closer. It's already having an effect on free speech. Reporters Without Borders has downgraded Taiwan's score on freedom of the press from 37 in 07 to 59 this year. There have been concerns raised of manipulation of the press to appease China in much the same way has been happening in Hong Kong for years now.

      Unfortunately, because the United Nations is so utterly worthless Taiwan has no ground to stand on since it will always do whatever China wants on this issue, which basically means Taiwan is marginalized on the international stage. Not many Taiwanese are losing sleep over this because so many are so interested in making money. And for many that means doing business in China and playing by their game.

      I'm convinced that China is more determined to become an economic superpower than a military one. Having your military engaged around the world is often more trouble than it's worth in this day and age. Look at the troubles the US and Russia have faced over the last few decades. The international community would never except either nation exerting its full military might, so instead we end up with these simmering conflicts that are never fully resolved. You'll notice that outside of oppressing people in regions like Tibet and Xinjiang, China doesn't really get involved internationally.

      What I think is happening is that China is using its economic success to enable it to invest in the military. Fortunately for them, they don't need to resort to military espionage on the level that the Russians did. All they have to do is buy whatever they need from Russia, and then build off of that. Unfortunately with the economic mess we have here in the US, and the rampant government spending, this places us in a position where we're even more dependent on China's economy.

      The big irony is that China still needs the rest of the world far more than the rest of the world needs China. If the US, Japan and Europe decided to move all manufacturing to southeast Asia and India, China would be completely devastated. And I do think manufacturing work is slowly trickling away to nations where labor is cheaper. My point is that China won't go militaristic while it's dependent on the rest of the world. However, once the leadership decides China no longer needs us things may change dramatically.

      I think a more immediate threat, however, is economic collapse in China. There are concerns about economic bubbles in China, real estate being one of them. If things go to crap, it's going to mean millions upon millions out of world. And what do nations always do when there's unrest amongst their people? They blame foreign nations and try to give people something to rally behind. That might mean starting with something like the invasion of some disputed islands in the Pacific, then on to Taiwan, and who knows what else?

      I completely embrace the idea of American companies doing business in China. And I think it's a good think to have a positive relationship with China. However, I think there are too many naive people out there and they too intent on portraying China like it's this pinnacle of greatness where everything they do is somehow justifiable. Listening to the media, I'm always left with the impression that China is the model of environmentalism for us all to follow. I had to go to a Taiwanese newspaper to read that China recently relocated 10,000 people because of severe lead poisoning. The best part is that they moved these people mainly so that the offending factory could go right on polluting as it had been.

      Considering that I live in America I expect my government to do what it can to ensure this nation's strength and success

    18. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      As the saying goes, google is your friend.

      Another useful source on this is check out wiki on the 1962 border war. In many ways, it is just like today. China is claiming certain resources, building up military on their border and then telling India that it is nothing. China is also doing more than just military exercises on the Indian front. They have been fairly quietly moving a number of missiles into place. Also, they have put a couple of their nuclear Ballistic missile and attack subs into the Indian Ocean. With China working hard to make friendly with Pakistan and Bangladesh, China is about to put a chokehold on India when they need to.

      Also google for China, India and Brahmputra. China has been quietly getting ready to build a dam on one of India's and Bangladesh's major source of waters. China has denied it all along and even now, when they are moving nearly 1/2 million ppl that are on the banks of the Brahmputra, they are STILL claiming that they will not dam it. The real issue is that this river provides water to the eastern side of India, and then move much, if not all of the water to the yellow river.

      Roughly, China is in a game of chess with western friendly nations. They can do more of this simply because Western resources are tied up with AQ. The only good news on this is that China WAS quietly helping AQ has now managed to piss off AQ and OBL has now sworn to attack China's western regions.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    19. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1
      I was aware of escalating tension over territory that has been disputed for decades. I guess I misunderstood the OP, since I thought he meant that there were additional claims China was making on previously-undisputed Indian territory.

      Also google for China, India and Brahmputra. China has been quietly getting ready to build a dam on one of India's and Bangladesh's major source of waters. China has denied it all along and even now, when they are moving nearly 1/2 million ppl that are on the banks of the Brahmputra, they are STILL claiming that they will not dam it. The real issue is that this river provides water to the eastern side of India, and then move much, if not all of the water to the yellow river.

      I hadn't heard this. I'm in for some interesting googling tonight, I think.

      Roughly, China is in a game of chess with western friendly nations. They can do more of this simply because Western resources are tied up with AQ. The only good news on this is that China WAS quietly helping AQ has now managed to piss off AQ and OBL has now sworn to attack China's western regions.

      I think it's far deeper than that. AQ is a blip on the radar in comparison to the economic factors, which are the battleship in the harbor. The real good news is that China is still dependent on western markets for their manufactured goods (which is why they still prop up the dollar).

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    20. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are resorting to tactics of name calling and applying labels to discredit the report. That tells me that they are having a hard time of disputing the facts and are trying to use emotion to sway the court of public opinion.

    21. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eh, I wouldn't downplay China's military ambitions either. Sure, they're not imminently going to be taking part in distant wars, but they've fought every one of their neighbors within the past 60 years (yes, Russia too), they're working on building a functional navy now complete with subs that don't sink and aircraft carriers, and they're making suspiciously colonial kinds of investments in Africa. The aggressive attitudes they've had vs Taiwan, in things like ramming spy planes and claiming larger-than-international-standard sea zones, and in their widening gender imbalance issues, and in their at times downright creepy nationalism... it's not really a formula for peaceful economic might. It's more likely they'll do as they do now: throw their weight around militarily in situations where they currently think they can get away with it (Tibet), while steadily working to increase their ability to get away with it in more places.

      The 'colonial' comment I made earlier is the one that is scariest, IMO. Check out the investment patterns; lots of Chinese workers shipped in, while at the same time flooding the markets with cheap textiles - depriving the locals of the exact potential industries and jobs that they could have used to improve their nations. And in return, China gets access to local resources to be shipped back to China, and then make the stuff they'll be selling back to Africa... and establishing populations of ethnic Chinese there means that if anything whatsoever goes wrong and China becomes more militant, all the typical pretexts for military interventionism are already in place - economic exports and imports, and "our people need protection". Also, the very existence of even current relations in Africa already gives China a pretext to have a naval force patrolling from China to Africa, which of course happens to pass through a lot of other strategically interesting places, like the waters of economic rival India.

      I'd keep an eye on other places China starts on the same tactic, especially if they try it in South America, since it would establish a conscious pattern of behavior.

      Oh, and the other parallel with the 'colonial' tag is that these relationships are the mutually consenting partnerships of equals that modern economics supposedly should be encouraging; it's more like the master/client relationships of the cold war or the superpower/serfs relationship of the colonial era. This is giant China stepping into countries that are just a few steps short of open war, manuvering itself into long term relations as the source of money and protection.

    22. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahh, the mythical "west". Why would China need to undermine anybody? They are the most powerful country on earth. They have the largest percentage of population of any country, control the largest share of manufacturing and are the largest exporter on earth. The entire planet depends on China in more ways than one.

      If China wanted to flex its muscle, it would simply deny all exports to the US. There goes the United States, poof!

    23. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Actually, china and America are exporting close to the same amount. The largest exporter is currently EU. My guess is that if China decided to go after America, then EU would step in as would Americans. Whats more, if China ever decides to kill exports to America, watch China's economy collapse. Right now, America can come up MUCH quicker into production, than China could EVER sell elsewhere.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    24. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by coaxial · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      This is an issue between China and the United States, it's not a 'Cold War mentality' when you're keeping tabs on threats to you. Every country does it. The fear here is that China is dipping into/forcing a civilian base to partake in information warfare. If we were writing this report about being afraid of China for it's pool of computer science resources, we would be much more afraid of India--the largest pool of information technology.

      I seriously doubt that China is "forcing" civilians to participate. There's crazy nationalists willing to whatever it for the "greater good" as they see it in every country. The United Kingdom, Germany, even the United States.Nationalism is on the upswing in China, especially with the youth. Even if the segment of the self-mobilized population is same fraction of any other country, then there still would be more in China.

      Never underestimate the will of some crazy to try to take matters into his own hands.

    25. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Nyder · · Score: 1

      ... I expect that my government will make it difficult to China to spy on us. Why the hell should I care about the moral relativism some people stupidly believe in, that China is justified because America does it to. I guarantee you that most Chinese not only support espionage on the part of their government, but have pride in the fact that their government is screwing ours, whether or not that is actually true. I have Chinese friends who have shown more pride in their country, despite having lived in the US for years, than I've seen from most Americans.

      Okay, first our government likes spying on us, so how the hell they going to make it hard for China to?

      And second, those chinese friends that have pride for China? Not unusual. besides being brainwashed from childhood to believe your country is the greatest, you'll find that for almost every nationality.

      So while you may have some good points in your post, you don't seem to be saying much.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    26. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Listening to the media, I'm always left with the impression that China is the model of environmentalism for us all to follow.

      There are some good points in your post but... WTF?! China, the place where US olympians got off their plane last year wearing masks because of concerns about air quality? China, the place where basically we dump most of our old electronics and people strip out the precious metals in the easiest and most polluting manner possible (see any number of previous SlashDot articles)?

      What is this "media" you're listening to exactly, and are you sure you didn't just mishear "Sweden" or something?

    27. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think 4chan would do a better job.

    28. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So they're the becoming the next imperialist military force to subject the world to it's whims? Sorry but this reeks of poetic justice when we hear the US crying about it (no matter how good your point may be).

      Convince us that China will be worse than you have been (them being commie doesn't suffice as a reason btw) and we might start to get more worried. Otherwise its just "Welcome the new boss - same as the old boss".

    29. Re:Let me be the first to say it: by intheshelter · · Score: 1

      Personally I would be concerned about all of it rather than just trying to shine a light on one nation's f'ups and ignore anothers.

  3. While Northrup Grumman Expands Cyberspying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    in the U.S. !

    Why do I found the report suspect when the author is part of the military-industrial-health care-complex?

    Yours In Novy Urengoy,
    Kilgore T.

    1. Re:While Northrup Grumman Expands Cyberspying by megamerican · · Score: 3, Informative

      Shhhh.... People aren't supposed to know that the company crying wolf is the one who has the most to gain and is probably the one who is responsible for the alleged attacks.

      US: Contractors Vie for Plum Work, Hacking for U.S. Government

      And the race to develop weapons that defend against, or initiate, computer attacks has given rise to thousands of “hacker soldiers” within the Pentagon who can blend the new capabilities into the nation’s war planning.

      Nearly all of the largest military companies — including Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon — have major cyber contracts with the military and intelligence agencies.

      Daniel D. Allen, who oversees work on intelligence systems for Northrop Grumman, estimated that federal spending on computer security now totals $10 billion each year, including classified programs. That is just a fraction of the government’s spending on weapons systems. But industry officials expect it to rise rapidly.

      The military contractors are now in the enviable position of turning what they learned out of necessity — protecting the sensitive Pentagon data that sits on their own computers — into a lucrative business that could replace some of the revenue lost from cancellations of conventional weapons systems.

      Domestic Spying, Inc.

      http://www.corpwatch.org/section.php?id=11

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
  4. I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by mi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm shocked to discover, an emerging world power is spying on the existing world power and is trying to get its weapons technology...

    Seriously, this shouldn't even be news. What countermeasures are being taken is a lot more interesting — for both us and the Chinese — but should be kept just as secret for the latter reason...

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    1. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1

      It's not news to people who are in these environments - in that line of business. Its probably news to some of the general public.

    2. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by Goffee71 · · Score: 1

      Our defense is:

      All our code has bugs
      All our weapons don't work
      All our technology is too expensive to be affordable

      It'll take them a couple of decades, but they'll catch on.

      --
      If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
    3. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It needs to be made news because legislation and funding are best fueled by outrage. You don't want a campaign slowed down by tedious discussions of proportional response, and enforcement of basic known security practices that industry & gov are so lax about. Expect to hear a lot more.

      Worth noting that Grumman's long-time competitor Lockheed just won a related contract.

    4. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Emerging is no longer an appropriate adjective for China. They are most definitely a bonafide world power.

    5. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Emerging is no longer an appropriate adjective for China. They are most definitely a bonafide world power.

      not with a largely brown water navy they aren't.

    6. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 1

      I'm shocked to discover, an emerging world power is spying on the existing world power and is trying to get its weapons technology...

      Seriously, this shouldn't even be news. What countermeasures are being taken is a lot more interesting — for both us and the Chinese — but should be kept just as secret for the latter reason...

      You hit it square on the head - countermeasures allow for not only stopping intrusions but feeding bogus information or incorporating features in software that may be useful in the future - trap doors, equipment malfunctions, etc.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    7. Re:I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you considered improving your ground connection? This will considerably reduce your shock hazard.

  5. there's a nice layer of deniability here by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Interesting

    the chinese hackers doing this are mostly motivated by ultranationalist impulses. they are self-starting, they are not command and control from the central government. if they discover any informational gems, the desire to report this to the government is also completely voluntary and desirable from an individual nationalistic point of view. if useful enough, such hackers can be brought into the fold and become a genuine command and control tool of the government, but this is at the late stage of things

    of course, by completely controlling media, the government is creating a population of robots who aren't thinking critically and are ultranationalist only by default

    luckily, tribalism is never stronger than principles in terms of motivations that win over others on the global stage. chinese censorship is creating a generation of cottonheads in its youth, unable to see the wider world for what it is. youth from countries with open and transparent media, and without hermetically sealed censorship of the level china employs, are meanwhile more globalistic and principled in their attitudes, rather than tribal. of course nationalistic, tribal thinking exists in all countries. but only in places like china and iran, who feel the need to control the media, does the nationalism rise to the level of blind passion: these minds simply aren't exposed to other opinions

    so china has developed a wonderful machine for keeping china safe and secure from the outside. but as china begins to emerge as a player on the world stage, it is going to have to think on the world stage, not simply react from the point of view a cloistered hermit kingdom that imagines itself walled off from the wider world and its concerns

    china will never lead in this world as long as it breeds children who can't think about anything except china. critical thinking only comes from exposure to alternative opinions and points of view. the chinese are raising their children to have no criticla thinking skills, to be blind cottonheaded nationalistic robots

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by cabjf · · Score: 3, Informative

      I see you read the same article I did a while back. I don't remember the magazine, but it outlined how the Chinese government basically turns a blind eye to the actions of these ultra-nationalistic hackers. Then it recruits the best for it's actual espionage programs. The author even followed his or her contact with one of these hackers who seemingly disappeared and turned up later under the employ of the regional government. I don't know that locking down the media is the only thing at work here. Look at the US from the 40's and 50's. Because of WWII, most everyone was on this lasting high of nationalistic pride, especially as our economy and power grew. I think many in China, especially those who are too young to remember the upheaval and killings of the Cultural Revolution, are under a nationalistic spell due to the growth that parts of the nation has been experiencing. Just wait until their government starts screwing things up and they'll have their own version of the 60's and 70's. If the upcoming generation is ultra-nationalistic, it follows that a future generation will rebel by questioning authority.

    2. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by nomad-9 · · Score: 1
      "of course, by completely controlling media, the government is creating a population of robots who aren't thinking critically"

      How is that worse than US media completely controlled by a handful of corporations outputting the same crap ? Do you really think that the US youth in its majority is capable of critical thinking? Are you capable of critical thought ? Because your "blind cottonheaded nationalistic robots" comment is way too simplistic and does not speak in your favor.

      Have you ever considered that it is precisely ultra-nationalism and "tribalism" that could actually help China be the next superpower and crush the competition? I guess not.

    3. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by immakiku · · Score: 1

      You've actually made some pretty loaded comments. Let's first ignore your assumptions about Chinese youth being made brainless by their media based on what you see in your media.

      From my understanding, your main point is that China will need to have more open and engaging policies in order to sustain itself in the global economic and political arena. Though this sounds good in theory, you haven't provided any evidence why this should be true. All prior experience suggests they are doing fine and are rising to the challenge of managing policies in a non-open spirit. Economically the size of the population has proven to be a major growth factor; there's no indications of that approaching a limit yet (not just for China).

      It's easy to be dismissive, but it's much more useful to employ some of the critical thinking you touted.

    4. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by CodeBuster · · Score: 2, Interesting

      to be blind cottonheaded nationalistic robots

      Who know how to handle a rifle and follow orders without question. Critical thinking may be indicative of greater cultural sophistication, but that didn't prevent Rome from being sacked by barbarians who, though lacking in culture, were handy with a sword.

    5. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      the Chinese hackers doing this are mostly motivated by ultranationalist impulses. they are self-starting, they are not command and control from the central government. if they discover any informational gems, the desire to report this to the government is also completely voluntary and desirable from an individual nationalistic point of view. if useful enough, such hackers can be brought into the fold and become a genuine command and control tool of the government, but this is at the late stage of things
      You are missing some VERY important parts to this. It is not just a crime to crack in China, but it is a death sentence if you are caught. OTH, Chinese gov. quietly rescinded that IFF the crackers will do only western citizens/countries/companies and then share the information with the gov.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    6. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by Teancum · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If the upcoming generation is ultra-nationalistic, it follows that a future generation will rebel by questioning authority.

      I don't necessarily see this as a given in China. Their culture is one that strongly respects authority (it has for the past 3000 years) and doesn't take too kindly to revolutionaries under any government that has ever existed in that country.

      If you are comparing that to the USA.... America was founded by a revolution, by pig-headed individuals who didn't respect authority and almost always thought that its leaders were a bunch of morons and idiots that were barely tolerated because somebody had to do the job. It still is the case today. That folks in the 1960's and 1970's in America questioned authority has more to do with a younger generation who actually studied their own history and realized what America was really about. Bowing down to authority has rarely been considered an American trait.... even when Americans are found in other countries.

      The USA in the 1940's and 1950's rallied to a strongly nationalist tendency because most intelligent people realized that the very existence of the American Republic was at stake and if something wasn't done to stop the scourge of the enemies of America, that they could end up being dead and everything that they held dear to themselves ruined. That happened after 9/11.... but ultimately it was proven that Al-Queida was a joke of a threat and that the larger threat was the U.S. government itself. That opinions differed in terms of how the citizens of America should deal with the threat of the government against its own citizens has not been focused or even of the same mind also says a whole lot about the diversity of opinions about the topic... and much about the current political climate in America as well.

      China is a much more different place, and even "revolutions" tend to take on a much more ordered and structured form... such as the events of Tiananmen Square of a couple decades ago. Given the same circumstances and motivations in America.... the tanks that came to disperse the crowds for a similar kind of event happening on the Washington D.C. central mall (the area between the White House and the Capitol Building with all of the monuments) would have been demolished from improvised explosives and other heavy calibur weapons. It certainly would have been a bloodbath of a far larger kind.

    7. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by foobsr · · Score: 1

      the chinese are raising their children to have no criticla thinking skills, to be blind cottonheaded nationalistic robots

      The 'West' are raising their children to have no critical thinking skills, to be blind, cotton-headed corporate robots.

      I fail to see a significant difference, perhaps there is a bigger 'error/failure' rate in either camp.

      CC.

      --
      TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    8. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by lee1026 · · Score: 1

      The American revolution was a very well organized event. Much better organized then Tiananmen Square.

    9. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL wow, you obviously have never been to China. I have, many many times. I have never noticed this level of censorship you report. You can buy Time magazine in many places, they also sell American newspapers in more touristy areas. I can read slashdot and use google on any number of wireless networks, as well as cnn.com and honestly have never even noticed major censorship.

      Its not the evil monster the MEDIA makes it out to be, no more than the USSR was. Its just a country, doing its thing. Most people in China don't give a rats ass about the US, they see us as a fading dinosaur. They are perfectly content to live their lives as they have for generations. I've been to places in China where I was the first white person they had ever seen in person, big deal for about a minute then who gives a fuck. There is poverty, wealth, crime, everything you get anywhere in the world. Drugs, fancy cars, motorcycles, rock bands, bars, hookers, coffee shops, MCDONALDS, italian restaurants and xbox 360's.

      Though they do have fancier cell phones. And not a very good appreciation for good european beer, thats hard to find.

    10. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Find and replace

      "China"

      with

      "America"

      (and delete the bits about hackers, because americans are too busy with porn)

    11. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by BhaKi · · Score: 1

      ... of course, by completely controlling media, the government is creating a population of robots who aren't thinking critically and are ultranationalist only by default ...

      Just like the US government. This has been the US government's strategy for the last 50 or more years. And it's still working successfully. How else would the "critical thinking" people of a country consent to so many wars?

      --
      The largest prime factor of my UID is 263267.
    12. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by Nyder · · Score: 1

      the chinese hackers doing this are mostly motivated by ultranationalist impulses. they are self-starting, they are not command and control from the central government. if they discover any informational gems, the desire to report this to the government is also completely voluntary and desirable from an individual nationalistic point of view. if useful enough, such hackers can be brought into the fold and become a genuine command and control tool of the government, but this is at the late stage of things

      of course, by completely controlling media, the government is creating a population of robots who aren't thinking critically and are ultranationalist only by default

      luckily, tribalism is never stronger than principles in terms of motivations that win over others on the global stage. chinese censorship is creating a generation of cottonheads in its youth, unable to see the wider world for what it is. youth from countries with open and transparent media, and without hermetically sealed censorship of the level china employs, are meanwhile more globalistic and principled in their attitudes, rather than tribal. of course nationalistic, tribal thinking exists in all countries. but only in places like china and iran, who feel the need to control the media, does the nationalism rise to the level of blind passion: these minds simply aren't exposed to other opinions

      so china has developed a wonderful machine for keeping china safe and secure from the outside. but as china begins to emerge as a player on the world stage, it is going to have to think on the world stage, not simply react from the point of view a cloistered hermit kingdom that imagines itself walled off from the wider world and its concerns

      china will never lead in this world as long as it breeds children who can't think about anything except china. critical thinking only comes from exposure to alternative opinions and points of view. the chinese are raising their children to have no criticla thinking skills, to be blind cottonheaded nationalistic robots

      And I suppose you have sources?

      otherwise, what I read here was, well, dribble spouting out of your mouth.

      here's a napkin to wipe it off.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    13. Re:there's a nice layer of deniability here by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 1

      Ouch, are you way out there....with your generalizations. I agree that China wants to breed these type of easy to control, loyal weak minded supporters to their cause, but in fact I have seen a few Chinese being crushed and run over by tanks because they did not want to move and let the government dictate EVERYTHING for them.

      Generalizations are a dangerous thing, especially if it blinds you into thinking that you know enough about just one "people" to effectively cast them off as being non important, or diminished, or even uneducated, and unable to think for themselves. Every people has their robots (ours has a lot of consumers in it, propelling our economy towards yet another plummet..this means you mr.bestbuy ) and every people has their leaders and thinkers.

      I tend to want to speak seeing as I am a software developer who knows a few things about hacking, although I do not know enough about the Chinese or their government plans to help civilians hone their skills and reward them when they get something of value....however I do know our government works the same, especially when they give the worst fraudster of all (cheque fraud) a position with the FBI to help circumvent any further attempts at bank fraud.
      Frank Abagnale Jr

  6. Why spy anyway by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

    Isn't everything made in China these days? There's no need to spy companies, just wait for them to get the manufacturing contracts with a Chinese company.

    Score: 50% funny, 50% scary.

    1. Re:Why spy anyway by Asic+Eng · · Score: 1
      That's a very good point. Furthermore - a lot of the stuff which isn't made in China is made in Taiwan. China's official policy is that they want to take over Taiwan - either by peaceful means (sorta, with thousands of missiles targetted on Taiwan and rapidly increasing military buildup) or by direct force. A huge chunk of the world's computer and semiconductor industry is in Taiwan, losing that to China is a huge strategical risk.

      Despite that the US has been dragging their feet when it comes to let Taiwan buy military hardware, and now is watching while the new president of Taiwan allows China to buy stakes in high-tech companies, allows companies to move even more production sites to China etc. (I guess you can't blame them - it's better to surrender than to be annihilated.)

    2. Re:Why spy anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The third world war has been going on for at least the last two or three decades.

      Except this time the armies are companies and the weapons are simply currency.

    3. Re:Why spy anyway by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

      Much of Taiwan's manufacturing has already moved to China and elsewhere in Asia. Taiwan's government has tried to limit that but it's been largely futile. And Taiwan's current administration is opening up to China, trying to improve relations. They already allow direct flights between the two countries, which is something that wasn't allowed for the past 50 years since Taiwan was formed. Most Taiwanese are mostly interested in economic success and as such are eager to conduct business in China. Freedom of the press has even taken a hit, largely to appease China it seems.

  7. Look who wrote the report by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing like a good scare to rake in some more of that military industrial complex funding pork. It might be true, it might not be, but the incentive for the writer is clear. Too bad it is impolitic towards China at best, but they don't care. They need monies to fight ebil cybercommieterrists, whether those actually exist or not.

  8. Northrop Grumman by royallthefourth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A military contractor wrote a report making a foreign power look like a military threat.

    I don't doubt China is spying here, electronically and otherwise. However, it seems like a conflict of interest to have someone who would benefit from escalated military production evaluating our military needs.

    1. Re:Northrop Grumman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't seem to understand how the Military-Industrial-Complex is supposed to work, do you? /siphoning funds since 1961

    2. Re:Northrop Grumman by Eil · · Score: 1

      I have 5 mods points and wish I could use them all on the above comment.

      Most people have no idea how much defense policy is (more or less) constructed by the defense contractors themselves. These firms invent scary-sounding problems and then offer expensive solutions. They develop nothing that they think can't be successfully pitched to the Pentagon. When a commander or committee buys into a billion-dollar project, they get a promotion and the contractor gets a billion taxpayer dollars.

      I've seen this with my own eyes. Military bases are commanded by military commanders, but are largely run by contractors. Engineering; transportation; hospitality; I.T.; supply; training; build, vehicle, and aircraft maintenance; even physical security on occasion. I'm not saying that contractors shouldn't be utilized where it makes sense, but when I was in the military, I got the sense that the DoD was inching towards the goal of one day having companies run the entirety of all military operations, stopping short of actually contracting companies to fire the guns for them. (Although they are, if I'm not mistaken, already doing that.)

    3. Re:Northrop Grumman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are most likely wrong. I work in the information security industry as a consultant. I handle incident response on occasion. Some of the time for the companies that are the subject of this article. I think their conclusions are sound and I have seen some of the evidence.

      Piss in the wind and all that, but I agree with this report and think it is a big deal.

  9. Pure unadulterated government propaganda by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 0, Troll

    This report and story are simply American government propaganda. It is difficult to keep Americans believing that this is the "Land of the Free" without creating some sort of external threat. Sometimes those nasty Iranians with their nuclear missile programs are the biggest danger to our American way of life. Other times, it's those copycat Chinese with their industrial espionage trying to take jobs away from good, hard working Americans.

    The story in this case is based on the assumption that there is anything worth stealing that is stored on Internet-reachable servers. It's a completely different story when you start questioning why secret information would be put anywhere near the biggest information network in the world. Is the problem a nefarious hacker country, or is the problem an incompetent American government?

    Odds are both. However, remove the beam from thine own eye, and all that.

  10. Just China. by Thanshin · · Score: 1

    What did they expect? A polite call? A mail?

    "Excuse me. We'd like to know about your military efforts. Thank you."

    Or is it just a case of: "Countries spy on each other. News at eleven."

  11. goes both ways by petes_PoV · · Score: 1

    I'm sure every country is spying on every other one - including so-called "allies". All this tells us is there's one single case study where someone's internet security wasn't up to scratch.

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
  12. Oh, Please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Report prepared by group who's going to benefit from new contracts against the "threat"
    Spreading fear is great money making machine.
    Stop this paranoia.

  13. Why China is Blocked by CodeBuster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This report demonstrates precisely why many companies, particularly those with no direct overseas connections, black hole the entire IP ranges of countries like China, Russia, and others. While this does not entirely prevent attacks originating in those countries it does put one more roadblock in the way of any would be attackers (i.e. they must first compromise some other US host before launching their attack through that host). According to the report linked in the TFA, the attackers were able to RDP into company computers directly from China...doh!

    1. Re:Why China is Blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you really think that an intelligence service that can steal military secrets cannot use a proxy located in the states? TOR, or a compromised host, or simply using a 10$/year hosting account providing SSH tunneling would do the trick.

  14. Pleaseeeeeeee by bullwin69 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Are you kidding me.This is what keep everybody in business. I would have a problem believing them if both sides said they where being good boys and girls

  15. China spying against the US? by Tanuki64 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Im shocked. Really shocked. Or perhaps not...... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enercon#cite_note-zeit-0 In other words: So what? Is normal competitive behaviour when the USA is spying, but evil when the USA is the victim? Cry me a river.

  16. What an outrage! by Akita24 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    They should know better! Shame on them! Everybody knows it's only good/moral/OK if WE do it. Sheesh.

  17. Then who? by tacokill · · Score: 1

    Ok, fair enough. Who would you suggest is better qualified to write a report like this? The Armed forces who are actually doing the fighting? Think tanks? God-forbid, politicians? The general public? Who, exactly, is better qualified to do the research and write a report like this?

    Also, are your "doubts" based on anything at all or is that just somekind of gut feeling you have?

    I am asking because some of us on this site see the things they speak of in this report. This isn't some esoteric intelligentsia news story. This stuff that is happening in our sandbox and has for multiple years now.

    1. Re:Then who? by iamsolidsnk · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Someone must do this type of research with clearance level access. Better to have educated, vetted, background-checked individuals doing this than the public-at-large.

      --
      Here I am, here I remain.
    2. Re:Then who? by r_jensen11 · · Score: 1

      How about Switzerland?

    3. Re:Then who? by royallthefourth · · Score: 1

      The NSA ought to have enough knowledge. If not, congress can fund them instead of a private contractor.

      The military-industrial complex is a threat to the entire world. Eisenhower knew what he was talking about.

    4. Re:Then who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously it's Blofeld. Obviously.

    5. Re:Then who? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      The NSA has produced MANY reports saying this. Sadly, many ppl do not take it serious because they claim that it is part of the American gov. So, this was spun off to allow an independent look at it. And now, fools are claiming that they should not be the ones doing it.

      In the end, it does not matter what happens HERE. What matters is what Obama and the current pols (dems) as well as the entire western/western friendly gov. will do.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    6. Re:Then who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about a not-for-profit defense contractor?

  18. And now we are helping them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Recently, Obama moved all of ITAR regulated space goods to being under department of commerce. This is the same group that allowed various space companies to work closely with China under Clinton. Problem is, that all of the fixes that were done to China's rockets were transferred to China's nuke missiles and it now appears that same tech was transferred to North Korea AND Iran (both of their missiles showed up with similar fixes). So, now, Clinton's transfer to tech has enabled China, NK, and Iran to land a missile within 1 km diameter or less. Before, none of them could hit within 100 km, which is why China was not putting up space cargo.

    Between bad moves on American dems and EU liberals, combined with China's illegal spying, it is safe to say that China will surpass the west militarily much faster than expected.

    1. Re:And now we are helping them by JeanBaptiste · · Score: 1

      well good thing we're devious bastards when we need to be.

      i'd be careful stealing our tech....

  19. Parent is spouting propaganda by Conzar · · Score: 1

    "the government is creating a population of robots who aren't thinking critically and are ultranationalist only by default"

    Have you ever been to china? Do you know anyone from china? I have both visited and have many friends from China. None of them are nationalistic and all of them are sceptical of their government.

    1. Re:Parent is spouting propaganda by Threni · · Score: 1

      I went there (schenzen or something - near Hong Kong) and it was shit - sort of like Wales would be if it were under martial law. I didn't see a single person smile. I was held up at passport control for an hour because the tour operator omitted a leading zero from my passport number - like anyone is going to try to break in to that shithole! (I could understand it if it had been on the way out)

    2. Re:Parent is spouting propaganda by Quinapalus · · Score: 1

      I have never met one Chinese-born person at University who believed that the Communist Party should step down from power or criticized the government in any fundamental way. Not one. (Chinese-Americans, of course, are all over the spectrum when it comes to the Communist party and their right to rule.)

      It's actually quite surprising because otherwise these are very smart people. However, if you ask about human rights violations, censoring, corruption, pollution, etc, they all just revert back to the party line. The ability of humans to have function despite cognitive dissonance is amazing.

      This always makes me uneasy, because these are the Westernized elite, who in some cases have lived in America for a number of years. I can't imagine what the typical uneducated peasant must think.

  20. And this is new, how? by stakovahflow · · Score: 1

    Seriously, how is this a new thing?

    --
    Holy happy hippy crap!
  21. This happened at my company... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I worked in Nuclear security, and a Chinese programmer before I was hired ran off with the source code to our nuclear security system and went back to China with it. It is happening.

    1. Re:This happened at my company... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, you better go catch him!!!

    2. Re:This happened at my company... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lies, damned lies.

  22. And we fund such activity via lopsided trade by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    go figure. It's like over-feeding a pet until it's large enough to eat you, and then complaining that it's eating you.

    1. Re:And we fund such activity via lopsided trade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What a terrible analogy. If I don't feed my lion cub it doesn't grow to become a small lion that can't eat me.

    2. Re:And we fund such activity via lopsided trade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      don't you also over feed yourself so you are always the bigger one?

    3. Re:And we fund such activity via lopsided trade by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Damn, I forgot to turn my webcam off.

    4. Re:And we fund such activity via lopsided trade by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      A python, maybe?

  23. Screw China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Their government has no conscience whatsoever. All I know is communism leads to a society that doesn't innovate.

  24. You are both wrong and right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is this American Propoganda? There is most likely an element of that. It was chosen to be released, rather than kep quiet.

    OTH, is the report accurate? Most likely. China has been building up a military like never seen before. In addition, they have spies over the ENTIRE western nations. They are known to have at least 8 boomers and 8 attack subs. They are getting ready to launch new military only space stations to which the ONLY use of, would be for weapons. Worse, it appears to be multiples. BTW, this space station is different from their quasi-civilian space station that will go up later.

    You can chose to dismiss the report, but it does not mean that it is worth having the west look at what is happening. To not do so, is foolish. It is no different than when so many in EU and Australia claimed that Bin Ladin was a threat ONLY to USSR. Now, they are attacking Russia, China, America, and starting in on EU, and Australia. Basically to ignore how China is operating also is to ignore history; 1930's Germany comes to mind.

  25. Hype? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    US is the economical, technological and military superpower; there is no surprise that China, or any other country would be attempting to steal knowledge from them. However, the question is, do they actually succeed? Considering the advancement of the US, and that any medium to large enterprise will have dedicated IT staff to monitor and protect their network, I would be really surprised if most attempts were successful at all. There is certainly some breaches, but not at an alarming scale.

    This study was contracted with Northrop Grumman Corporation, which is:
    "Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide."

    How convenient would it be if the US government decide to invest billions in cyberspace protection.

  26. don't buy it by petes_PoV · · Score: 1
    I'd expect the chinese internet censorship would severely limit the ability of "citizens" to gain access to restricted foreign web resources. At least those citizens who did not have special privileges, such as living in places like Hong Kong where the restrictions are less. Plus, the chinese authoritites monitor all their citizens' web usage, so a bit of freelance spying would be easily detectable (and would obviate the need to report finding to the government: they'd already know what a person had found, from monitoring that person's usage)

    In fact hacking through a foreign governments secret, but badly secured websites could severely damage a citizen's health (fatally!) if it caused that website to improve it's security - thereby making it harder for the real spies to gain access.

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
  27. china will never lead on the world stage by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    as long as china is simply concerned with china

    that's not loaded, its simply straightforward and obvious

    you criticize what i say with a point of view which is not relevant to my conclusion:

    "From my understanding, your main point is that China will need to have more open and engaging policies in order to sustain itself in the global economic and political arena"

    i have no confusion or misunderstanding that china can and will continue to take care of itself- to sustain itself

    but it won't LEAD

    and if china can't lead, then leadership in world affairs will not flow from washington dc to beijing, it will stay in washington dc. if anything, it will flow to brussels, since europe is not a closed, censored media market

    by censoring its media, china is creating a generation of dunderheads, only capable of seeing one point of view. if that point of view is "what is good for china" then that is fine if all you care about is china sustaining itself economically and politically. as if that is the only relevant point of view, and more to the point, as if that is the most useful point of view for china's future on the world stage

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:china will never lead on the world stage by immakiku · · Score: 1

      Historically who hasn't been primarily concerned with their own welfare more than the welfare of others? Only the top few spots have the luxury of worrying about others. Before humans were the top of the food chain, we didn't care at all about animal rights. This is hardly a valid criticism - whatever nation has sufficiently taken care of itself will spread their attention wider.

  28. The difference by MikeRT · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Even supposing that the US is spying on China's corporations to the same level as they do everyone else (unlikely, given how much worse China is for this than most developed countries), Chinese corporations would have recourse in the US against such actions if they discovered them. Try being an American company in the equivalent situation in China. The PRC would laugh itself silly at an American company's grievance.

  29. Aw, c'mon... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I couldn't get past this: "Wang Baodong" (the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington...)

  30. dead meme: the usa is controlled by corporations by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Insightful

    i guess you missed the memo

    i see whistleblowing on corporations and where they do evil all the time in western media. the same would be completely covered up and whitewashed in china. do you understand the level of pollution chinese companies get away with in china? if chinese companies tried to pull in the west the kind of crap they get away with routinely in china, the media would start a firestorm. oh, in fact they did: melamine in food, ethylene glycol in medicine, lead in toys...

    witness:

    http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/showcase-65/

    look at those pictures. this is what companies get away with in china. if you showed such pictures in the west about a western company doing that somewhere to people in the west are you going to tell me they get away with anything near remotely as murderous in the west? i'm not asking for historical examples, i'm asking for the here and now. plenty of western companies pollute outside the west... and chinese companies just as much if not more now. here in the west, western companies are sued and erin brockovitched to death. while in china its carte blanche, standard operating procedure: poison poor chinese with impunity

    and deny this:

    one of the most influential and deeply historically entrenched american businesses has been systematically dismantled over the last 20 years in the usa. its media edifice hamstrung and turned against itself, all of its entrenched political players and lobbying and propaganda utterly defeated. i'm talking about the tobacco industry. where's this amazing western corporate control of our lives again?

    i am very sick of this meme that companies control everything in the west

    of course money has too much influence in politics. as if this is unique to the west, or even the worst in the west. there are actually are laws about crass manipulation. so the money has to flow in soft ways, in indirect ways, and so its not as big a deal as certain propagandized "money controls everything in the west" fools believe. go back a hundred years, when the obsession was with preventing pinkerton gangs from breaking up union demonstrations with kneecap busting, with breaking up business monopolies, with establishing a standardized hours per workweek, from doing away with child labor, etc. meanwhile, in china, its communist in name, but more ultracapitalist than the usa in reality. try to get your stereotypes in synch with reality please

    it is in fact the solid truth that in china, companies have much more influence and arrogant assumed right to pretty much murder, while in the west they are regulated and hounded by the media constantly. no such hounding in a government monopoly media in china, regulations only after they prove embarassing and hurt the bottom line in china

    "Have you ever considered that it is precisely ultra-nationalism and 'tribalism' that could actually help China be the next superpower and crush the competition? I guess not."

    actually, it won't help china. you need to cooperate on the world stage. you assume for some bizarre reason that india, russia, europe, brazil, etc., will simply roll over and take blatant han imperialism without any resistance

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  31. 60s style revolution attempted in china already by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    it ended in tiananmen square

    the worst the us government came up with as a response to the 60s was kent state

    there were (and are) plenty of command and control arrogant authoritarian assholes in the us government who were itching (and are itching) to go hardline on the 60s countercultural revolution and its political effects. luckily, they didn't prevail, and are still not prevailing. however, such authoritarian assholes are clearly prevailing in china

    its really hard to put a flower in the tip of a national guardsman's rifle and make a potent image and political point when said gun is actively firing on you

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  32. i have been to china by circletimessquare · · Score: 3, Insightful

    even the most skeptical about the government's censorship excesses are still completely nationalistic. for example: it is not questioned, in the least, that tibet is part of china

    with a straight face, tell me a chinese director could make a "dances with wolves" style movie about chinese troops in tibet, and that such a movie would as widely praised and be as popular with chinese citizens as the real "dances with wolves" was with americans

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:i have been to china by Conzar · · Score: 1

      "it is not questioned, in the least, that tibet is part of china"

      Its as much a part of China as Hawaii is a part of the United States.

  33. to a point by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    your observations are fine in a vacuum of any other considerations. but if you compare how children are raised in the west, their media market, with children raised in china, the chinese media market, you are not creating a generation of critical thinkers in china because there is no exposure to anything other than "what is good for china". "what is good for the west" is still a valid concern in the west, but in the west, via self-criticism, you sometimes wind up with an even better answer to the question "what is good for the west"

    self-introspection, self-criticism, does not necessarily result in a tampening down or destruction of self-centered greed. oftentimes, it actually results in better ways to enrich yourself. in other words, the guy who only thinks about "what is good for me" sometimes cannot see that what is best for him is something he would never see if he was unable to articulate, appreciate, and examine alternative points of view. cooperation and paradoxically giving rather than taking often result in more self-enrichment than simple blind obsessive "me, me, me"

    of course there are also plenty of nationalistic blind morons in the west, and critical thinking is a rare commodity anywhere. but the mind is a muscle: use it or lose it. a media environment that challenges people with alternative points of view results in a mind that can justify what it already believes even better, or alternatively, adapt a superior point of view

    raising that same mind in a hermetically sealed environment where "harmony" is valued over sometimes ugly truths results in minds that can't always see what is best for them, even if that is their only concern

    what is best for china? sometimes, it is self-criticism. is that allowed in china? no. that's my point: what is best for china is not served by being singularly obsessed with what is best for china to the exclusion of any criticism and alternative points of view. a bunch of unthinking robots is all the current chinese media climate creates. this doesn't actually serve china in the end, it impoverishes china because such nationalistic fools do actions which often hurt china, internally and externally

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:to a point by immakiku · · Score: 1

      Don't you think that's a weak claim? Prioritizing critical introspection is certainly nice, but not always necessary. The fact of the matter is, it hasn't been needed to a high degree so far. Their government isn't as rigid or unyielding as we might be led to believe; it will adapt when it makes sense to.

      In addition, the philistines in America are every bit as egocentric as their analogues in China. And the literati in China are every bit as introspective as their analogues here, though the public face of the nation is not as accepting of that when the introspection threatens safety and order.

      The final point: you are throwing around the blanket phrase "critical thinking". You appear to be confounding it with non-egocentric thinking. Though this doesn't weaken your argument, I think this point exposes the "thin-ness" of your claim.

  34. Mom! Hes spying on me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    USA: Mooom! He's spying on me!

    China: Nuh-uh! You can't prove it was me!

  35. completely wrong by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Informative

    in the west, i can view any media source i want. in the west, i can criticize my government freely

    in china, i can't view any media source, plenty are blocked. additionally, if i say something that criticises the chinese government, i can be monitored, perhaps punished

    the difference is real and significant in terms of the types of minds that are created. there are plenty of nationlistic idiots in the west. but in china, there are many more, as simple result of the fact that the chinese government policy encourages the creation of tribal han and their self-comfort

    apparently the chinese government thinks chinese people are pets, slaves, incapable of their own opinions. the chinese government thinks that adult chinese have to be treated like children

    by any objective, heck, by any subjective measurement, in the west i clearly have orders of magnitude more freedoms of expression and political opinion than i do in china

    which means i am able to fully express my mind as a fully capable human being. the chinese, meanwhile, are only allowed to be children, to be unquestioning robots. this is not my opinion. this is the obvious policy of the chinese government: the chinese people have to be controlled, they can't be treated like adults, they can't be trusted

    i have a higher opinion of the chinese people than their own government. why?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  36. 100% correct by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Informative

    and, in hawaii, i can stand on a street corner and say so. i can go on a website and say hawaii should be independent. no us official will punish me. in fact, if a us official tried to punish me for expressing my political opinion, that official in turn could be punished, sued, even possibly charged with a crime. would that be true of the beijing official who cracked down on the tibetan's expression of political opinion?

    i can make a movie about the injustice of hawaii being part of the usa. i can create a political party to that effect. on the mainland usa, i can view said party's literature, i can agree with it, openly, and i can even give that cause money. can a resident of shanghai do that?

    http://www.freehawaii.org/
    http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/
    http://www.hawaiiankingdom.info/

    where are those servers located?

    they are located in the usa

    they are freely allowed to run by the us government

    can you say any of those things about what tibetans can do?

    a better allegory would be if you had used puerto rico rather than hawaii as an example. puerto rico is not a state of the usa. puerot ricans can not vote for american president. yet in puerto rico, votes continue to come up, and PUERTO RICANS (not washington dc) continue to decide to be part of the usa as a commonwealth by a vast majority rather than be an independent country (they do this for the generous financial reasons of this commonwealth situation)

    http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/15/us/puerto-rico-votes-to-retain-status-as-commonwealth.html

    By choosing to maintain the commonwealth status that has been in place here for more than 40 years, Puerto Ricans made it clear that they prefer "the best of two worlds," in the words of a pro-commonwealth campaign slogan, to the prospect of more intimate ties with the United States. By an overwhelming margin, they also rejected independence, the third option that had been offered to them in the nonbinding vote today.

    do you really think any of that would be true for tibet and tibetans? if tibetans could vote like puerto ricans, what would tibetans choose?

    china uses tanks and coercion, the us uses votes and consensus

    so do you really believe your comparison between tibet and hawaii is valid in any way whatsoever?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  37. Ob by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    I heard they had an elimination style competition with varoiious rounds of hacking to see who'd be the head of the cyber espionage unit.

    And when they got down to the final survivor they said "You are the geekiest chink!".

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:Ob by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe this is how Americans are doing their thing. It's like they didn't invade iraq for oil, but for take some pictures of their prisoners.

  38. Actually, you do have this wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    China is already leading. They are running around teaching a number of African and South American nations Chinese. Add to that they are buying any and all resources regardless of their leaders. They are also supplying weapons and associated IP to nations like North Korea, Burma, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, etc. China IS leading. And they are QUIETLY building up a new axis to take on the west. Only they will be in charge.

  39. all of the deals by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    that china makes in africa and south america are for the benefit of the chinese

    what do you think happens when south americans and africans start asking what is best for south americans and africans?

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8314534.stm

    you can throw your weight around, but you can't lead, until you think about what other people want. which you can't do, if you've grown up never thinking about that, since your country didn't let you be exposed to anything outside the bubble of official chinese thought

    dealings with others in the world is built on consensus. this is direct contrast to chinese authoritarian thinking. meanwhile, anyone raised in a democratic environment, which is also built on consensus, are naturally better suited to the task of world leadership

    the chinese will never lead in the world, until they change their way of thinking. sure, world leadership in the hands of washington dc may be in sunset, but if anything, it will pass to brussels, not beijing

    the chinese stranglehold on chinese media creates robots, not critical thinkers. if you prefer cotton candy "harmony" over ugly truths and uglier dissent, your mind is free of struggle, but it is also free of thought. why the chinese government thinks its citizens are children is beyond me, but i have more respect for chinese citizens than beijing does

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  40. It's a brave new world by Progman3K · · Score: 1

    It's vitally important the Chinese find out what kind of porn the people at our research labs are into.

    --
    I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
  41. Re:dead meme: the usa is controlled by corporation by nomad-9 · · Score: 1
    "i am very sick of this meme that companies control everything in the west"

    Whether that makes you sick or not is irrelevant. Most of the media is controlled by a handful of companies, and that is a fact. There is no real diversity of views, only minor ones. The Chinese state censors Western propaganda, where you get your idea of democracy, that you put as a condition to be a superpower. If China has showed us anything, is precisely that being a democracy is not a pre-condition to succeed on the world stage.

    BTW, how much "global international cooperation" did the US need to become a world super-power? Next to none. Ultra-nationalism is a strength, not a weakness. And it does not exclude cooperation with other no less nationalistic countries such as Russia, India, or Brazil.

    As I said, I find your view on China to be extremely simplistic.

  42. Where is this Freedom of speech? by Conzar · · Score: 1

    "if a us official tried to punish me for expressing my political opinion, that official in turn could be punished, sued, even possibly charged with a crime."
    Where do you think you live again?

    Here is just one of the many examples where the government chooses to silence those that oppose them. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2009/sep/25/sonic-cannon-g20-pittsburgh

  43. why in your mind by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Insightful

    do you equate political dissent with hooligans intent on smashing windows?

    do you really think that me writing my political opinion on a website is the same as some yahoo throwing bricks at police?

    why do you think these are remotely the same:

    1. the police control a handful of anarchist idiots who can't be reasoned with, feel they have a right to destroy things, and don't understand anything except physical force
    2. the government monitors, filters, and punishes any and all political expression by anyone in the country

    that's the difference between the west and china

    do you have an ability to appreciate the difference? do you really think the level of control in china is anything remotely near that in the west?

    because the west has to control a handful of destructive hooligans in pittsburg: this in your mind is the same as a government which filters and controls ALL media and internet expression by EVERYONE? really?

    and as for the sound cannon: this is new technology meant to control anarchist idiots nonlethally, without using bullets. in other words, an advancement in nonlethal confrontation. but apparently, just because its a new technology, this is a rationale for your criticism. pffft

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:why in your mind by Conzar · · Score: 1

      "do you equate political dissent with hooligans intent on smashing windows?"

      Do you know what happens to people when they have political dissent in the USA? Ask General Lee and the "South". How about the people in Waco Texas? How about the students at Kent State University? Like I said in previous posts, there are plenty of examples.

    2. Re:why in your mind by alantus · · Score: 1

      Do you know what happens to people when they have political dissent in the USA? Ask General Lee and the "South". How about the people in Waco Texas? How about the students at Kent State University? Like I said in previous posts, there are plenty of examples.

      What about the students at the Kent State University? Is this something that happened in my lifetime, or some 40 years ago?
      The difference is that if you want to find examples of censorship in China you can just read yesterday's news or ask a friend, no need to bring back historical references.

  44. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "Most of the media is controlled by a handful of companies, and that is a fact."

    we are reading and interacting on slashdot. which is not owned or run by megaultraevil corporation inc. it is one of thousands of independently run media outlets in the usa, which you are freely allowed to visit. right now, i can go read the news in tehran, or in beijing. if i were in beijing or tehran, i could not freely read the news in new york city. in china: there is only one media outlet. the government. you call my views simplistic. your views aren't simplistic: they are clearly falsehoods

    "There is no real diversity of views, only minor ones."

    translation: "i have some fringe wackjob belief i don't see getting the respect i think it deserves". because according to anyone levelheaded its not a belief that deserves much airtime, because it is easily dismissed, and is noncontroversial. but prove me wrong: go out and agitate for widespread support for your beliefs. you are free to try that, in the west (not in china). but if you can't get the support you think you deserve, is it because the people think you are nuts? or is it because some evilmegaultra corp is suppressing you?

    "The Chinese state censors Western propaganda"

    the chinese state censors its own people. for example, you are right now in the west, questioning the west. you are 100% allowed to do that and i support your right to do that. you are not allowed to question china, if you live in china. get the difference oh great wise one?

    "where you get your idea of democracy, that you put as a condition to be a superpower."

    yes, i believe that it is far superior to rule via consensus rather than force. it is not a condition for being a superpower, it is a condition for you to deserve respect as a government in my eyes. do you believe it is superior to rule via force than consensus?

    "If China has showed us anything, is precisely that being a democracy is not a pre-condition to succeed on the world stage."

    i never thought it was. the entirety of human history has shown brutality often rules. the chinese from their own history know that well: from mongol invasions to the opium wars, the chinese know they have to be strong to survive in this world. does it mean they shouldn't respect their own people and censor their own people's expression? why does beijing not respect its own people? i have more respect for chinese people and treat them like adults than beijing does, which treats its people like children

    "BTW, how much "global international cooperation" did the US need to become a world super-power? Next to none."

    the usa didn't exist 250 years ago. it rose to power dramatically over much older countries through the force of its ideas: a free market, rule via democracy rather than monarchy/ dictatorship. this has made it a strong stable country. its not a zero sum game: the usa did not take from someone else in order to be strong, the usa built its strength from within. the usa is not strong because of nike sweat shops in indonesia, or because it toppled the iranian govt, or assassinated chilean politicians. these were all stupid mistakes the usa committed. but none of those actions are reasons why the usa is strong. the usa is strong because of what its government and its people values. other countries that have been around a lot longer than the usa, who have committed just as many international crimes as the usa does (including china) are not as powerful as the usa, simply because they do not value free trade in capital and ideas like the usa does. china has learned to value capitalism. china is now more capitalistic than the usa, even though it is ruled by the communist party, which is some sort of laughable absurdity. if china next respects the free exchange of ideas like the usa, i will embrace china as readily as i embrace the usa. because i am not about tribalism, i am about principles

    "Ultra-nationalism is a strength, not a weakness."

    hi, nice to meet you fascist

    "And it does not exclude c

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA by nomad-9 · · Score: 1
      "fascist", "and i am saying you are an idiot"

      Frankly, I couldn't care less about the opinion of people resorting to straw mans and insults. Slashdot is not a mega-corp, and I never said that those mega-corps were "evil". Most of the other things you mumbled are out of sheer ignorance. My turn to laugh at you.

    2. Re:BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA by nomad-9 · · Score: 1
      "when china makes deals with russia, india, and brazil, it is doing what is best for china. its not leading on the world stage"

      HA ha ha. And when the US deals with these countries, it is doing anything different? Or is it that what the US has been doing these last years (Iraq etc) is "leading on the world stage"? Your views are not only simplistic, they are hypocritical. Best case scenario is, you simply don't know what you're talking about.

  45. i don't understand your objections by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    egocentric idiotic tribal ultranationalists exist everywhere. in the usa, and in china. in the usa, you are allowed to question such ultranationalism. in china, such ultranationalism is a monopoly, the state owned media, and if you question the party line, you are fair game for monitoring, admonishment, and perhaps prosecution

    this clearly means more minds are swayed towards han imperialism in beijing than there are minds in washington dc swayed towards american imperialism. this clearly means more minds in china adhere to the official "harmonious" monoculture, while in the usa they are allowed to inhabit a diversity of dissenting niches. a diversity of thought clearly results in a more supple, less brittle pool of minds, much more ready to lead via consensus, which is the only way you lead on the world stage

    you really want to sit there and say that the media environment in the usa versus china makes no difference? you really want to say that argument of mine is thin?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:i don't understand your objections by immakiku · · Score: 1

      I am aware of the difference. I don't dispute that, though I do think the media here heavily exaggerates the extent of the difference.

      I probably wasn't clear - I'm saying your claim is thin, not that your argument or rhetoric at arriving at the conclusion is weak. I'm saying that egocentricism is not hugely detrimental, which is what you are claiming (right?). Your claim is that national criticism is sometimes beneficial so disallowing such sentiments in public in favor of the greater harmony might not be the most beneficial policy. The "thinness" I'm getting at is that this is very removed from reality. It could just as well be true that the apparent harmony of society is more beneficial. You see how the degree of importance of your claim is pretty small?

      Most people use the civil liberties perspective to argue against censorship. That claim I buy. Yours I don't.

      Also: you seem to think the minds in China are somehow completely brainwashed and incapable of higher thinking. Egocentric thinking is only one aspect of critical thinking. How does limiting it in this one small way somehow break the mind as a whole?

  46. Objection! Nationalist thinking! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What makes you think the US might "only" be spying on the Chinese government? Remeber the ruckus about huawei routers? Its chips? etc.? Pfft.

    If you want to claim "two wrongs don't make a right", don't shoot yourself in the foot by arguing that anyway, the first wrong is muuuuch woooorse than the second. Shyeah right. If spying is wrong, then spying is wrong, regardless of who does it and what the target is. If spying isn't wrong then spying isn't wrong, regardless of who does it or what the target is. As far as I'm concerned, both China's and America's spying are equally accepted facts of life. Also: Team America is Go!

  47. Mod made like an ostrich by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice to see the parent modded "troll" just because it doesn't agree with the American Agenda. Really, things will get a million times better for everyone when you stop pretending you're somehow better than everyone else. For everyone? Well, no, perhaps not for actual extremists, because it takes away their easy target. Pretty hard to villify people that act responsibly and atone for their crimes.

  48. The Chinese are such liars! by Bitmaniac0101 · · Score: 1

    These Chinese types really think for one minute that nobody knows that Chinese Intelligence hasnt been trying to hack or successfully hacking into Corporations networks ? What a bunch of liars! I have worked as a security engineer at some very large Corps in silicon valley and let me inform those that may or may not already know that we had traced IPs belonging to several govt agencies probing and eventually trying to infiltrate our networks ! Thats how bold they are. They wont go to an area that has a IP address belonging to Ma jung a.k.a average Joe but rather right out of there Govt run networks ! But then again we are dealing with a govt that cant develop there own supercomputer on there own without Bill Clinton giving them a few. The Chinese govt is such a Tool.

  49. my argument is not thin, it is strong by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    it is no mistake that out of the enlightenment in europe came the foundations of modern science. the enlightenment started as a questioning of religious edicts from the catholic church, the protestant reformation. the point was: when you question supposedly solid beliefs, you begin your intellectual growth. it doesn't mean you have to give up those beliefs, but some beliefs, yes, you will give up, and this will provide new avenues of thought which is a REQUIREMENT for a strong supple mind. you ask: "How does limiting it in this one small way somehow break the mind as a whole?" and i reply: there is no such limiting in a small way. thats not possible. either the mind is free in all avenues, or it is hobbled in all avenues. cognition does not break down into tiny social compartments

    centuries before the enlightenment, the caliphate was the light of the world, where great science was made: algebra, distilled alcohol, alchemy, the names of stars, etc. but you won't see great science coming out of the islamic world today, as they are mired in fundamentalism and autocracies. the ayatollah is on record saying iran's future preeminence rests on it becoming technologically sophisticated and independent. but you will never have that in the iranian theocracy. all of their great nationalist "advancements": nuclear reactors, their satellite launch: its all technology borrowed from elsewhere. a society that rewards obedience to a belief system that cannot be openly questioned creates minds which are not predisposed and capable of scientific inquiry

    of course, such great minds still exist in iran, in childhood. in every society exists certain brilliant children who, if the society were a pure meritocracy of ideas, would be rewarded and would prosper. but the "education" in iran, read "indoctrination", would punish such great minds: the mind that obediently brown noses would win the highest marks, the highest grades

    the mind that blindly parrots the religious status quo would win control of the science department, not the truly technically most advanced. iranian society has spoken: political and social obedience is most important. i'm saying a great scientific genius in iran would be incapable of not also saying something that would get him in trouble with the religious authorities. simply because the mind that can come to great scientific insights is automatically also a mind which questions all sorts of other things about the world around him. you do not find in science departments anywhere in the world the ultranationalist, the deeply socially conservative, the politically reactionary, the religiously devout. why is that do you suppose?

    i'm not changing the subject from china, i'm broadening the topic to show you my point is not limited to chinese control of the media. there is a reason why the usa and western europe has grown so powerful and has invented things like the internet: you can say and think whatever you want, and therefore that which is "truth" that which is most valued is only that which stands on its own. the usa has nothing that cannot be adopted to any other country in the world. and doing so would make that country as powerful as the usa. meanwhile, if you artificially attempt to control ideas, to control the free exchange of thought, all you do is hobble and weaken it

    take all the arguments about communism and the free exchange of capital, and apply it to authoritarianism, and the free exchange of ideas. if you understand why communism does not make everyone equally middle class, but why it makes everyone equally poor, then you understand why authoritarian control of media and attempts to control the free exchange of ideas is equally hobbling in terms of intellectual richness. if only human thought could be walled off as simply political. if only those who control said "dangerous" thought only comes from cetain sectors of society. if only thought in one avenue of intellectual expression had no implications on any other

    control any aspect of free expression, and you poison the w

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  50. Getting Tiresome by DynaSoar · · Score: 1

    It's what now, 3 or 4 times a year we hear this same story? If there were something we really didn't want them to have, and I'm sure there's plenty, we'd put it where they couldn't get to it, ie. not networked/online.

    Face it, they're the main supplier for the myriad crap consumables and durable goods we pick up the the People's Republic of Walmart. At the pries they're getting they can't afford to buy these 'secrets' and still come up to par with us. If we charged them, their businesses would never get the chance to take over the country, so we could buy them out and control them financially, like we did with Russia.

    If we really wanted them to stop, they'd 'find' things that's scare the bamboo curtain back down.

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  51. Security? by godel_56 · · Score: 1

    One point that has been little mentioned in these posts ... Why the hell do these companies have classified information accessible from public facing networks? This kind of information should be available on internal networks only.

    1. Re:Security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      maybe because it was meant for public consumption? I wonder how many fake networks the US (or other) military has setup for hackers to bite.

  52. My experience. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't know anything for certain one way or another, but I have upwards of 100 password-crack attempts a day on one FTP server alone from Chinese IPs, and I'm on a small business cable pipeline.

    Blacklisting a whole country is very close on my agenda.

  53. Such a simple and easy thing to fix. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This really isn't rocket science folks. It really isn't. if you are worried about your data being on the net, then don't put it there. If you need a web face, get a single computer, put a web server on it, done. Oh, what if they should break into your web server!!!!! Well, since its not connected to your local lan, they have to do an air breach to get to your sensitive data. But, but, but... you say. Go ahead, say it. Keep your sensitive data off the net. Get it off and keep it off. There isn't anything more to say.

  54. Its far more than that by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Corporate spies and government spies are intermingling these days; the line is blurred. They even hire each other!

    The CIA hires outsiders in part, to get around their limitations. The USA has done tons of stuff militarily and covert for the benefit of its influential corps or corp groups at least since out messing around in South America for food corps. (likely before that, I draw a blank atm.) Its not just the war for oil recent stuff nor is it just 1 party. It doesn't even need to be organized-- plenty of gov employees get access to info useful to corps and want to make an extra buck-- I'm sure that stuff happened plenty and isn't that big a deal to get it curbed much--- most likely it spread into more a organized system. Its not just a conspiracy theory, its a the nature of these systems to produce such conspiracies - the smarter the better they are and the less gets noticed. Its so bad now we have a lobbyist revolving door between congress and industry.

    Just 1 man's story:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man

  55. old school thinking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your wargaming skills are rather lacking in today's world.

    They already have millions of personnel in every important natural resource and high tech development area around the world. In research universities and high tech business. Not thousands, millions. And they are taking western stockpiled money they have by the planeload and buying up extremely long term resource contracts, millions of acres of farmland, and gaining access to all modern tech in real time as it is being developed. All of it. And they care naught for your precious "IP", either.

    They don't need a huge navy, that is 20th century thinking, especially in these days of a million dollar missile that can take out a billion dollar carrier. Oh, the carriers have anti missile missiles? No problem, they analyze how many the carrier holds, and shoot off one extra over that number. It is still a good trade, your carrier and 80 planes are now sunk. And subs that can surface in the middle of carrier battle groups undetected, just to tweak them.

    Their navy, which they are building up, is for show and face mostly, and to intimidate much smaller nations in their perceived theater, which is "the pacific ocean and nearby landmass and islands". It is to keep taiwan, the phillipines, south korea, viet nam, etc on their toes and respecting them. It will serve as a warning to India to not tweak the dragon.

    Their real military strength is "stealth" or asymmetrical,(just like the US "was" in WW2, but not now, because of peaceful non attacked manufacturing back home, plus access to all the oil they could possibly need, that's what really won the wars) it is in the sheer force of numbers already deployed all over the world as students, businessmen, and natural resource workers, combined with their unmatched industrial manufacturing capacity. Unmatched. Numbers that go up daily and that they can continue..forever. They are turning out more scientists and engineers than the western nations combined. Millions and millions of their countrymen they can export, gathering influence and wealth all over the world. It is the "engulf the planet and own it" doctrine.

    People say the US is imperialistic because it has 153 foreign military bases. Pikers. China has 11,530 foreign "stealth bases" actively staffed and being run now, gathering strength, wealth and power, and sending it back home, on a daily basis. They have enough surplus cash now to just accumulate huge stockpiles of industrial metals, huge as in acres and acres of pallets of ingots. They are buying up entire mines or large stakes in the world's largest mining areas, everywhere. Signing 20 year contracts for energy delivery, then building the pipelines, ships and assorted infrastructure needed to take advantage of that. Doing nation to nation deals that dwarf the largest western energy companies that get all the headlines but are really small potatoes. They are building an entire new rail system and ocean terminal service seaport that extends across Africa, just to get to the new mines they will be operating and basically owning, that they got cheap by paying off some warlords there..err "elected leaders". A new large scale powerplant that goes in weekly domestically. and every et cetera under the Sun.

    NO ONE else is building out at the scale they are, globally. No one else is even remotely close. They are making the west's navies and militaries obsolete from forward thinking and long range planning.

    And when all the profits are coming from there, even the military industrial complex in the west will be shifting allegiance. Slowly, but it will happen. These very large globalist armaments industries are profit driven, not geographical location-loyal driven. None of them are. They do not care where those profits come from, they are THE strongest lobbiests in DC now to loosen up export restrictions. This should be at least a tiny clue. Same with the IT industry, the chemical industry, advanced large agricultural industry. Th

  56. Amateurs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Over 150 comments and nobody mentioned real report cause?
    In soviet russia (or maybe in UK) this kind of "reports" are simple baits that "confirm" successfull action of enemy intelligence.
    It should be clear for anyone with half brain that data retrieved by enemy was planted in relatively easy to access place as disinformation.

  57. that explains why my router logs by KSFreezer · · Score: 1

    are full of chinese ip's. Seems port 49365 is being probed along with the usual well known ports.

  58. The term Chinese Copy... by cyn1c77 · · Score: 1

    didn't invent itself.

    I find it ironic that until about 1000 years ago, the Chinese were inventing some serious shit! I mean paper, gunpowder, the compass, printing, paper money, the toothbrush... the list goes on and on.

    I guess one day they just blew their mental loads and decided that it was easier to steal other nations' technologies. Or maybe they figure they have already contributed enough to civilization and now they deserve to reap the benefits.

  59. how old are you? by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    i'm guessing 11

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:how old are you? by nomad-9 · · Score: 1

      i'm guessing 11

      Kid, I'm not the one throwing childish insults.

      And your personal attacks are as laughable as anything else you babbled in this thread.

  60. unfounded and unwarranted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...and we will remove such statements from your sites asap

  61. there's no personal attacks by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    i am making an objective reading of your intellectual sophistication based upon what you have written:

    you're 11 years old, or a certifiable low iq moron

    but thanks for the laughs retard

    xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:there's no personal attacks by nomad-9 · · Score: 1

      i am making an objective reading of your intellectual sophistication based upon what you have written:

      Right, that's what people resorting to insults always say to make themselves feel better. They convince themselves that their insults are "objective".

      you're 11 years old, or a certifiable low iq moron

      You seem pretty emotional about all this. All this anger towards those not sharing your limited view of the world...Did your mom dressed you as a girl often? Were you sexually abused? On medication, perhaps?

      but thanks for the laughs retard

      xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

      I'm glad we shared the amusement. Please feel free to post any further pointless drivel that comes across your mind on things you know nothing about. Doesn't bother me at all. You are a dime a dozen.

    2. Re:there's no personal attacks by nomad-9 · · Score: 1
      Speaking of "objective reading of intellectual sophistication", I drew my own conclusions after reading your "Chinese-as-mindless-cottonhead-robots" comment. I'm sure others will do as well.

      .

      Good luck with your personal problems.

  62. #1 in 20 years. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No matter if you are preoccupied, in 20 years China will be the first economy in world.

  63. Gold plated lead by bobvious · · Score: 1

    Maybe I can hope that the folks at the more impressive military contractors have lots of servers with files almost expertly tucked away, with firewalls almost strong enough to keep out brilliant scoundrels, that are chock full of military secrets... that are fake.