Blog Reveals a Chinese Military Hacker's Life Is One of Boredom and Bitterness

Nerval's Lobster writes "People's Liberation Army hackers: they're just like us. As noted by IT security firm Mandiant, and detailed in a new article by The Los Angeles Times, a blogger calling themselves 'Rocy Bird' had posted several hundred blog entries over a three-year period about life as a Chinese military hacker. It wasn't the most exciting existence. He worked a normal workday—8 A.M. until 5:30 P.M., unless some project required late hours—and lived in a dorm. He dined often on instant noodles and enjoyed the television series 'Prison Break.' He spent lots of time online, even when off the clock. And like millions of people all over the world, he disliked many aspects of his job. 'What I can't understand is why all the work units are located in the most remote areas of the city,' the hacker, who the Times identified as having the family name Wang, wrote in a portion of a blog posting reprinted by the paper. 'I really don't get what those old guys are thinking in the beginning. They should at least take us young people into consideration. How can passionate young people like us handle a prison-like environment like this?'"

Comments

Enjoyed Prison Break...

[Tyrannicsupremacy]

GEE I wonder why!

military life

[memnock]

Based on the comment in the summary: what did this person think the military was like? Perhaps the people that recruited him sold him a bill of goods: 'Protect the Fatherland! China faces threats on multiple fronts! It'll be better than World of Warcraft and The Matrix combined! Your skill set and our resources will be cracking secrets everywhere in Europe and the U.S.A. and you'll be a hero and celebrated! You'll be part of the select group protecting us from the evil outside our borders that doesn't recognize our sovereignty."

Re:military life

[Anonymous Coward]

Not true. You are confusing China with Korea (both of them).

China has a large enough population, a large percentage of which still living in poverty, that there are no shortage of people who are willing recruits. Besides, unlike America, China isn't fighting wars with anyone (not yet, at least), so there is no danger in a military career.

The Chinese military is genuinely, entirely voluntary.

Re:Surely There's Something Interesting To Do

[girlintraining]

Hell, it's hardly even worth the risk in North America...

In North America, everything is illegal, off limits, or for authorized personnel only, and with rather stiff consequences if you're caught. We have a higher incarceration rate than China. So I say, if you're really going to have the democratic spirit...

Ignore all that shit, and do it anyway.

So lets recap shall we?

[OhANameWhatName]

A computer security firm 'found' a blog whose source cannot be verified. The content of the blog, apparently written by a specialist computer security agent of the Chinese government, talked about:

- The Chinese military
- The Chinese leadership
- Hacking techniques
- Hacking targets
- Lifestyles of government employed hackers

And was derisive. The Chinese government didn't happen to notice that one of their military intelligence agents living in a military dorm was regularly posting derisive and secret information for 3 years. Just to state the bleedingly obvious here, but this would never happen in the US and the Chinese are much stricter on information control.

So do you trust the Los Angeles Times and a private security agency pitching for government contracts, or ... common sense?

Take the red pill.

Re:Attitudinal similarities: screwed by managers

[xQx]

So, how much longer until China realizes that all they need to do to fully replicate western society is to give their citizens a right to vote every 4 years between 'thing 1' and 'thing 2'.

It's no real surprise how similar it is to live in an economic society under communist rule as it is to live in an economic society under democratic rule when modern democracy has done everything it can to resist any push to reform into a method of governance that gives people actual choice, rather than the illusion of choice.

Bradley Manning's case is a great example of the difference between pissing off a communist party, and pissing off a military that reports to a democratic government.

In China, you get torture then execution.

In America, you get torture (or is that "subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques"), prison, a theatrical presentation for the benefit of the public called "fair trial", prison, then death.

You say tomato, I say tomato.

The Russians knew

[SmallFurryCreature]

During Glasnost, Russian reporters on the American election noted not just how similar the US elections were to USSR ones (pick one of two) but how much BETTER the Americans had gotten at totally muzzling the press through unseen torture methods because at no point could the Russians see any sign of the American media asking akward or difficult questions. What terrible gulags must exist to put the fright into the press to such a degree!?!

Well... the answer is of course, the gulag of exile. Ask akward or non-pre-approved questions and you don't get access anymore to special events and then have to explain to your advertisers why your network/newspaper was the one not present at a press conference. It is a marvelous system. You can ask any question you want as a member of the free press at a press conference... you just won't be there to ask them.

The KGB had to actually get out of their chair to supress the media, get their hands bloody. The white house press officer just sends one less invite. It is not just the US doing this, ask the wrong questions and they can't keep you out of the official big gatherings, you just don't get access anymore to all the "optional" stuff. It is so simple but it is where democracy dies. It is not just the ones in power that do it, Palin only does things by invite and with pre-approved lists of questions. Wilders both bans AND is himself banned (right wing dutch politician).

Mind you, the catholics show the other method doesn't really work either. In theory any kardinal can be elected pope... so how come they got the rotten luck every single elected pope turns out to be a war criminal, child molesting bigot? I mean... what are the odds... unless every single catholic is a nasty piece of work... nah... that couldn't be the case could it? Or could it be that if the milk is spoiled, that which rises to the top is not the cream? That any person who makes it into a position of being elected ruler has had to swim in the cesspool for so long, they can't help but got tainted?

That it don't matter how many are up for election, they are all part of the system because the system is what nurtured them?

Geert Wilders is a right wing dutch politician who often bitches about "The Hague" which is our capitol hill. Tiny detail, he is one of the longest serving politicians. It is the clincher for many right wingers, if someone tells you business will solve everything and government is filled with useless people who can't do anything right... and they been in government for decades and have no business experience... do you believe them?

If you are a Republican, you should listen to richest people on this planet since they by your believe system are the most right. So... what do Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have to say about politics? Mmm?

We are the cesspool and our leaders are what floated to the top.

Re:Won't work

[TapeCutter]

They used Fema to move people who'd lost everything all over the country so they couldn't become a dangerous voting block

That's the lamest conspiracy theory I've heard all week. Fema and the rest of the clowns involved in that circus were simply incompetent to the point of criminal neglect.