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German Intelligence Warns of Increased Chinese Cyberspying (apnews.com)

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency has warned that China allegedly is using social networks to try to cultivate lawmakers and other officials as sources. From a report: Hans-Georg Maassen said his agency, known by its German acronym BfV, believes more than 10,000 Germans have been targeted by Chinese intelligence agents posing as consultants, headhunters or researchers, primarily on the social networking site LinkedIn. "This is a broad-based attempt to infiltrate in particular parliaments, ministries and government agencies," Maassen said.

36 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Of course the communist chinese are spying by WCMI92 · · Score: 1, Troll

    They should not be allowed to trade with us.

    --
    Corporatism != Free Market
    1. Re:Of course the communist chinese are spying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sure, sure. Same goes for the US, since they were caught spying on Germany, and anyone that deals with the US and Germany, since we have spy operations coming out of Hamburg. I'm with you 100%. This shit needs to stop.

    2. Re:Of course the communist chinese are spying by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      It all seems like such a waste of effort, much like having a standing army - it's a game you only play because everyone else is playing it, and it's only risk-free to stop if everyone stops (which you can't confirm without playing).

      It's a game of control that mainly benefits the ruling classes - without it there'd be more economic productivity to put towards making all us peasants that much more content, but less ability to control concentration of wealth.

  2. Re:Ha jah klahr by lucasnate1 · · Score: 1

    If I replace the word "German" with the word "Yankee", won't your comment remain valid?

  3. Everybody with the means and motive spies by Baron_Yam · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Next tell me water is wet, I'm waiting on that breaking news with great anticipation!

    Intelligence services do intelligence and counter-intelligence work on behalf of domestic political and corporate interests. Specific instances of this are made public when convenient for propaganda purposes.

    Unless you really think none of the EU nations is spying on the Chinese...

    1. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by WindBourne · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Absolutely, we are all spying all over. However, China has been stepping it up. Basically, they are focusing less and less on internal matters and more to external. Personally, I have the utmost respect for Merkel, but there are times that I wonder if she should not be a bit more eastern German. And yeah, trump is absolutely the wrong president for this moment. There are some major changes about to happen in.the world dealing with china, and Russia, but esp China. And this traitor allowed himself to be bought.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    2. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      no, not blinded by hatred. In fact, just the opposite.
      Where I have an issue with Trump is that the intelligence world refused him, pence, and his original admin ANY security clearance. They were all considered traitors. Even at this time, the intel world severely limits what intel Trump/Pence get. Only the 3 generals get full access. And note that Flynn was a retired general who had his security clearance revoked while on the trump campaign trail .
      This speaks volumes about all of them. VERY LOUDLY.

      As to the selling a U mine to Russia, that is very much a none issue. Even the DOD and intell world were fine with it. It is not as though anybody under O force this through. Besides, we have PLENTY of U around America.
      Personally, I am far more concerned that Trump and the GOP has allowed CHina to take control over California Pass mine which is the single largest known source of Rare Earth on the globe. Sadly, few are noticing this. And while there is PLENTY of U mining around the globe (Australia, Canada, America to name but a few), rare earth is now heavily controlled by China.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

      Sounds like it's the intelligence agencies who have a problem if they are refusing information to the elected President.

    4. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Classified is classified. Period. U need a security clearance of the right type. And yes, even the president must be vetted. Trump/pence are the first to fail. And no. The intelligence world is doing the right thing. Or do u believe in handing over all of our most sensitive information to a traitor just because they were elected president?

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    5. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

      What you're describing sounds a lot like a coup. Is that what you're advocating?

      I have a lot more faith in elections and the Constitution, than I do in a bunch of secret laws about secrecy, interpreted by secret kangaroo courts. What about you - do you believe in democracy?

    6. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Hey asshole. Fully back the constitution and our laws. It is because of those that these ppl were denied access to information. And as to this being a coup for denying a traitor access to data that he has already proved he will share with Russia/China, kind of makes me wonder about you comrade. Why do u hate our constitution so much that you do not understand it? Nowhere in it does it say that we must turn over sensitive data to a traitor? Heck, ex-general Flynn had his clearance revoked because he was found to be conspiring with Russia. Does the constitution say that he must get info? Nyet there comrade.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    7. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Where in the constitution or in our laws does it say that intelligence world must share data with a traitor? Bear in mind that he has been caught giving classified info to both Russia and China post election.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    8. Re: Everybody with the means and motive spies by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

      Look asshole - if you and your buddies have some damning evidence, then by all means shout it from the rooftops. The Constitution has explicit means to deal with "high crimes". The American people will be on your side.

      But until you present some real powerful evidence, your shrill cries of "treason!!1!" sound like nothing but low partisan rancour. Claims of "he's a traitor, just TRUST US" sound like obvious bullshit, transparent to anyone of normal intelligence.

      Secret scumbags on secret committees don't get to choose who's allowed to be President. That's un-American as fuck. So I'm going to ask you again, son: are you advocating a coup?

  4. Nah. by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It has been there all the time. They are just taking a different tack. It is long past time for the west, esp nato nations, to restore the security approach that we had during the last cold war. After all, both China and Russia see themselves in a cold war with the west.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:Nah. by Baron_Yam · · Score: 2

      >They are just taking a different tack.

      I prefer the Russian method of having extremely sexy women sleep with men and then waiting for them to say something stupid to impress the women.

      I mean, what, the Chinese are going to give me a job offer via LinkedIn, but the Russians send a hot woman to my bed? I know which agency I'm going to turn for.

      (Sadly, Putin's never targeted me in a Russian honeypot operation... or my wife has a really solid cover and has stuck around despite me never giving her anything useful.)

    2. Re: Nah. by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Maybe Putin did send hot woman, but your wife got to her first?

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re: Nah. by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      >Maybe Putin did send hot woman, but your wife got to her first?

      Well then, all Putin has to do is trade me the 'incriminating video' the FSB would undoubtedly have made in return for everything I know.

    4. Re: Nah. by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      She's playing the long game.

  5. After we're done investigating Russian meddling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    we'll have to do another whole investigation in to the Trump family ties to Gina.

  6. But you missed the fun part by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When, not if, they reverse engineer the Cambridge Analytica approach, they will be able to use the network to engineer elections, policy, and spending for any number of nations on the planet.

    They are in it "for the long game" and nobody else is. Their battlefield they currently fight on is best described in this way:
    "What if there was a war, and only one side came"

    Every American politician must fight with no less than half of their time, money, and energy for re-election every two years. Their decisions are forced to that time-scale. The Chinese leadership has no equally vast constraint on vision, resources, or execution.

  7. Where is the problem ? by LordHighExecutioner · · Score: 1

    US intelligence is spying on internet since the introduction of Web 1.0.

    1. Re:Where is the problem ? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      please. All nations spy on the net.
      But what China is up to is trying to work their way into companies. Quite the difference.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    2. Re: Where is the problem ? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Passive spying to gather and verify intelligence is not the same as blackmail spying. Are you obtuse or Chinese?

  8. False Flag But Doesn't Matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Here's the thing. This claim is win-win for the agency making it. Social media is a giant mechanism by which nations can spy not only on each other but also on their own people, very cost-effectively. So Chinese spying may or may not be a serious concern--it's in the interests of German intelligence to play it up as much as possible. It will get them support to increase their own budget and operations...

    AND it will encourage political support for much stronger enforcement of "real name policies" and the connection of online IDs to state-issued IDs and employers.

    The second half of this is probably inevitable if we want to prevent social engineering attacks not only by nation-states but also by individuals and for corporate espionage. So unfortunately, it's happening.

    1. Re: False Flag But Doesn't Matter by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Good job comrade. The others of us modded you up. More yuans will be coming in the mail for you. Xi.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  9. Re: That didn't take long by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Lol. It is bad for the west to ignore China's and Russia increased spying. So, yeah, it is bad. And we read in the paper that when your bosses catch western spies in your city, they boot em out of China. So yeah.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  10. Re:That didn't take long by fazig · · Score: 1

    You've got it backwards. Just because everyone else does it, doesn't mean that it's suddenly not bad when China does it to YOU. What kind of logic is that anyway? (Don't answer the question is rhetorical)

  11. Funny Fact by Crass+Spektakel · · Score: 1

    Funny Fact, post a slightly anti-russian comment on german forums and you will get swarmed by hundreds of pro-russian trolls.

    Post whatever about anybody else and noone cares.

    China is just doing the old game of "intelligence gathering". At least they are not meddling with local politics.

    --
    "Life is short and in most cases it ends with death." Sir Sinclair
    1. Re:Funny Fact by ffkom · · Score: 1

      The fact that this "pro-russian propaganda" is so blatantly primitive, and so easy to recognize as propaganda, makes me wonder whether the Russians are actually the ones who pay for this kind of activity.

    2. Re: Funny Fact by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Same thing is happening here by Russia and China. And with AI coming, it is going to get worse. This is why I believe we need digital keys to prove who we are.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  12. Buying chinese gets you only one backdoor per item by ffkom · · Score: 1

    Of course the Chinese are spying, as do many other nations.

    But at least, if you buy Chinese hardware from Chinese traders, you usually end up with only one backdoor in your hardware - the one mandated by the Chinese gouvernment.

    If you buy US hardware, there instead will a multitude of backdoors come with it, readily installed: One installed by the US brand owner, for all sorts of commercial reasons. One installed by the Chinese manufacturer, during manufacturing, on behalf of the Chinese agencies. And at least one installed by the NSA during shipment.

  13. Re:That didn't take long by youngone · · Score: 1

    Pretty bad.
    Our main opposition party have a Chinese spy among their ranks, but we're not allowed to talk about it.

  14. Make networks secure again by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    The BND and NSA want to spy so they have weak junk open networks. Thinking no other such nation has skills.
    Domestic police want to spy on all the new random people just wondering around.
    Interesting people the police know nothing about and who have no valid documents.
    Collect it all only works if the domestic gov/mil/telco networks are secure and only searchable by a nations police and security services.
    Opening the "internet" to the world and then setting crypto keys as junk to spy on everyone domestically will just allow other groups to spy on the same networks.
    Staging servers that the rest of the world can see are not useful. Other nations just copy your most advanced gov/mil malware.
    That is then used to spy on your own mil/gov.
    It like Enigma all over again. Your codes are not secure, stop trusting your junk communications networks. Too many other nations are again collecting everything in real time.
    Once the trap door and backdoors are open and the keys copied its a bit strange to "warn" people of the results of gov mandated junk encryption and wide open networks. If you want security keep your networks secure.
    If the networks are wide open junk to support collect it all, a lot of other people, criminals, communists, cults, faiths, govs, spies, mil will be collecting for free too.
    What lets the NSA, GCHQ, BND, MI6, CIA in lets every other nation, faith group, mil, gov, criminal group and their spies in too.
    Their collection will result in advanced social engineering of people in the gov, mil, NGO and civil society.
    A kind of different https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... that keeps a weak gov in place run by other nations rather than just supporting a direct coup.

    Encrypt. Or do not encrypt. There is no secure social media.

    How to fix this. Stop with the junk US encryption. Too many people are getting into secure network for free.
    Learn how to spy on all the interesting people as a set of people who are in the same faith, communists. That stops the collect it all work load of having to spy on everyone in Germany.
    Be like the GCHQ was for Ireland, spy on all interesting people all the time. Use special forces/police when the spying results are found.
    Less like the Stasi with huge files on everyone that cant be search for useful information in real time.
    Secure your gov, mil and political networks again. Spies, faith groups and criminals working deep in gov,mil, security services need to be found.
    The internet is not the problem, its just the method to get free information on who to spy on. Stop uploading information about people who are connected to your gov/mil to for other nations to read about on the internet.
    Stop publishing so much about your gov, mil, politicians, think tanks, consultants on line.
    The West was smart and did not publish such information for the Stasi in the 1970-80's. Stop doing it now for free and giving everything away for other spies, faith groups, communists and governments now.
    Stop hiring spies that are working for faith groups, other nations, other nations mil, having contact with communists. They don't need work deep in the gov/mil/police. All they are doing is spying.

    Stop warning and start investigating who is spying.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    1. Re: Make networks secure again by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      I stopped reading your rant after the second sentence because you clearly don't have common sense. You have no fucking clue, either. There's plenty of stories of spies bumping into each other when tapping each other. Lots of cables from embassies detailing the country's surveillance, etc. They have a good understanding of the advanced capabilities of other nations.

    2. Re: Make networks secure again by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Re "embassies detailing the country's surveillance". That was the Cold War. The days of digging tunnels like in Vienna in 1948 and that Berlin tunnel are over.
      The spies enter as contractors, NGO's, gov and under cover of the private sector. Second generation spies with all the cover of been totally loyal citizens.
      The advanced capabilities are in well connected people talking to desperate political leaders. They don't need to so risk tapping and don't get caught as they are just talking not digging . They are invited in to do business and talk about trade. Manipulation and offers of payments then follow. Blackmail or finding a political fellow traveler. A convert to communism. A shared faith. The offer of a voting bloc for political considerations.
      Spies are using social media to probe mil and gov contractors, mil workers, officers and police lifestyles. Then the approach is formulated.

      The BND never thought it would face the weakness of a new Enigma on its secure networks and a perfected new Stasi doing human spying within the same generation.
      Other nations know what to do with spies, offers of support and trade missions, educational places, NGO's.
      While the police and security forces are distracted inviting in criminals and faith based spies into their service, communists are working at the political level.
      How much is the result of been collected and decoded with surveillance, how much is the result of trusted workers handing over plain text copies? Because cash, faith, communism, politics, revenge, fun, blackmail, that hidden lifestyle?
      Files that just walk out. No tapping needed.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  15. Re:That didn't take long by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    pretty bad indeed.
    However, things are going to get worse all over. Here in America, you have to be born in American land (states, territory, or military base) to be able to be president/VP. So, now, there are 10's of 1000s of CHinese that have come over here for the last 15 years that are 2-3 months pregnant and then return back to CHina with their child having an American citizenship. So, starting in 5 years, they can run for congress, and in 20 years, run for president, all while having been raised in China.

    As the saying goes, may you live in interesting times.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.