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China Suspected of Hacking Organizations Involved in South China Sea Dispute (japantimes.co.jp)

Posted by msmash on from the security-blues dept.

Jesse Johnson, writing for The Japan Times: The ongoing dispute over the South China Sea has apparently spilled over into cyberspace recently, as hackers believed to be from China have attacked government and private-sector organizations linked to the row over the key waterway, a new analysis has found. Using malicious software, hackers have tried to swipe sensitive information from the Philippines and other targets, according to a report released last week by Finnish cybersecurity firm F-Secure. Notable targets included the Philippines Department of Justice, the organizers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and an unidentified major international law firm involved in last month's landmark South China Sea arbitration decision at The Hague, the report said. The Department of Justice played a key role in the case and reports ahead of a November 2015 APEC event in the Philippines had said leaders attending the summit would discuss the South China Sea issue.

5 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. Dear Leader by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wish USA's Dear Leader had the balls to do something about it.

    Being an independent who voted for Obama twice, his foreign policy is simply the worst. Most of the world's problems with everyone running us over in some cases, literally, is the worst. This is another clear example of such a terrible policy.

    1. Re:Dear Leader by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

      " literally, is the worst"

      No it isn't. It may not be ideal, but it isn't the worst. It's been a bit of a trade off. Obama has been in power for 8 years and managed to not get us into any major wars in that time. On the downside, a few of our rivals have been able to bully us and our bungling of Iraq has led to establishment of ISIS.

      Sure, we've done some bombing runs here and there but no major wars of too big of a threat to us. Libby has probably been Obama's "biggest war"- which is pretty impressive for almost a decade in power. There has been a few terror attacks around the world, but as tragic as Boston and the gay night club shootings were- on the grand scale they were fairly small attacks. (and the night club shootings is probably better attributed to hate crime than terrorism).

      So all in all- it's been 8 years of relative peace. Which is good. The flip side to this administration is that we've let Russia bully us and essentially been out-manovered by them and are overwhelmed by them on NATO's eastern border. Half of Eastern Europe could be in Russia's hands before we were able to have enough troops positioned to significantly slow them. China has sensed our weakness and started bullying everyone in SE Asia with an 18th Century imperialistic attitude. They know we're not going to do much to stop them. They've quickly erected islands in disputed territory to establish bases whilst we have a pacifist in office.

      All in all, I suspect Republicans will call Obama weak and spineless and Democrats will call him a peaceful and idyllic. Truth be told it is subjective. One thing it definitely isn't though is "the worst".

      There have been far worse presidential foreign policies (both Republican and Democrat).

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:Dear Leader by ScentCone · · Score: 2

      you'll see what the irrational actors do, which is start a trade war

      We're in, and losing, a trade war right now. How are you not clear on this?

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  2. Isn't Everyone? by ranton · · Score: 2

    When are we going to stop pretending any technologically capable countries aren't actively spying on governments and companies whenever it suits their interests?

    The answers to the following two questions should always be assumed to be the same:
    1) Can the country benefit from hacking [insert organization]?
    2) Is the country hacking [insert organization]?

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  3. Re:China by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

    Just start the war already. It's been planned for a long time now. Look up AirSea War.

    America is not going to war with a nuclear power over some semi-submerged rocks in the South China Sea. The other countries cannot stand up to China without American support. So if China really wants the islands, they will get them, but they will pay a heavy price. Their belligerence has pushed Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. into closer military cooperation with America. In the entire world, China only has one reliable ally: Cambodia, one of the world's poorest countries.