Chinese intelligence operations in the United States
Encyclopedia
The People's Republic of China
(PRC) has and is currently using a widespread effort to acquire U.S. military technology
and classified information
. To fulfill its long-term military development goals, the PRC uses a variety of methods to obtain U.S. technology; including espionage
, the exploitation of commercial entities, and a network of scientific, academic, and business contacts. The Chinese operate in ways that take advantage of U.S. laws to avoid prosecution. The PRC uses a vast network of agents and contacts to collect pieces of information that are collated and put together in the PRC. Often each individual piece is not enough to warrant any suspicion or prosecution from U.S. government personnel. The aggressiveness of Chinese penetration is well documented in multiple espionage cases including those of Larry Wu-Tai Chin
, Katrina Leung
, Gwo-Bao Min, Chi Mak
, and Peter Lee. In addition to traditional espionage, the PRC uses civilian companies to partner with American businesses in order to acquire advanced technology and economic data. Additionally, the PRC utilizes cyber-espionage to penetrate the computer networks of U.S. businesses and government agencies. This is evidenced by a recent Chinese cyber-attack on Google's computer systems
in December 2009. PRC intelligence operations in the United States have become so pervasive that U.S. law enforcement officials have identified China as the most active foreign power involved in illegal acquisition of American technology.
Partnerships are started between Chinese civilian companies and foreign companies in order to give Chinese defense industries access to advanced technologies. The regulatory and commercial environment in China places intense pressure on American and other foreign companies to transfer technology to their Chinese partner companies as part of doing business in the PRC. In order to remain globally competitive, foreign companies are almost always willing to provide technology, capital, and manufacturing expertise in order to obtain access to Chinese markets. High-technology equipment is also purchased by PRC recruited agents running front companies in Hong Kong. Some of the items acquired are dual-use components, which can be used for both military or civilian purposes. These items may include computers, semiconductors, software, telecommunications devices, and integrated circuits. Furthermore, the PRC will use Chinese state-run firms to outright purchase American companies with access to the targeted technology.
The PRC also accesses restricted foreign technology through industrial espionage
. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have rated China's industrial espionage and theft operations as the leading threat to the security of U.S. technology. Between October 2002 and January 2003 five Chinese businessmen were accused of illegally shipping equipment and trade secrets from California to China. U.S. Officials were able to prevent one Chinese man from shipping a recently purchased high-speed computer from Sandia National Laboratories, which had been used on classified projects including the development of nuclear weapons.
, warned that the PRC has stolen classified information on every thermonuclear warhead in the U.S. ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) arsenal. Information is collected through espionage, as well as through rigorous reviews of U.S. technical and academic publications, and pervasive interaction with U.S. scientists. The PRC tasks a large number of individuals to collect small pieces of information which is then collated and analyzed in the PRC. In this way, individual PRC agents can more easily escape suspicion while carrying out their operations in the United States. U.S. Government personnel suspect that the PRC's intelligence collection efforts directed towards the development of modern nuclear weapons to be focused primarily on the Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The PRC is known to have stolen classified information on the following warheads: the W-56 Minuteman II ICBM, the W-62 Minuteman III ICBM, the W-70 Lance short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), the W-76 Trident C-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the W-78 Minuteman III Mark 12A ICBM, the W-87 Peacekeeper ICBM, and the W-88 Trident D-5 SLBM. The PRC also has stolen classified information on U.S. weapons design concepts, weaponization features, and warhead reentry vehicles.
have emphasized what senior U.S. Government officials have said is an increasingly serious cyber threat to U.S. critical industries.
worked in the U.S. intelligence community for close to 35 years, all the while providing the PRC with sensitive classified information. Chin was recruited as a spy by a Chinese Communist Official in 1948, while he was employed as an interpreter at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. Chin was later hired by the CIA’s Foreign Broadcast Information Service office. After becoming an American Citizen in 1965, Chin was transferred to Arlington, Virginia, where he had access to highly sensitive information; including reports from intelligence agents abroad, and translations of documents acquired by CIA Officers in China. In addition, Chin sold highly classified National Intelligence Estimates pertaining to China and Southeast Asia to the PRC. Consequently, the PRC was able to uncover weaknesses in their intelligence agencies, and compromise U.S. intelligence activities in the region. Among the most damaging information Chin compromised, was highly sensitive information regarding President Nixon’s plans for normalizing relations with China two years before President Nixon traveled to China. In February 1986, Larry Wu-Tai Chin was finally convicted of 17 counts of espionage, conspiracy, and tax evasion.
, then a 28-year-old immigrant from China, to work in Chinese counterespionage. Leung, a prominent business consultant, was seen as especially valuable due to the many contacts she had with high level officials in the Chinese Government. Smith and Leung became involved in a long-term sexual affair lasting nearly two decades. During this time, Smith made classified documents available to Leung, who was able to surreptitiously make copies of multiple classified documents. Leung was able to provide the PRC with information on nuclear, military, and political issues. Another FBI agent, William Cleveland, also became sexually involved with Leung. Leung was able to exploit her personal relationships with her FBI handlers and provide the PRC with highly sensitive information for 18 years.
is a Chinese-born engineer who worked for L-3 Communications, a California based defense contractor. Chi worked as a support engineer on Navy quiet drive propulsion technology. According to recovered documents, Chi was instructed by his Chinese contacts to join "more professional associations and participate in more seminars with 'special subject matters' and to compile special conference materials on disk." Specifically, Chi was to seek information on: space-based electromagnetic intercept systems, space-launched magnetic levitation platforms, electromagnetic gun or artillery systems, submarine torpedoes, electromagnetic launch systems, aircraft carrier electronic systems, water jet propulsion, ship submarine propulsion, power system configuration technology, weapons system modularization, technologies to defend against nuclear attack, shipboard electromagnetic motor systems, shipboard internal and external communications systems, and information on the next generation of US destroyers. Chi Mak was able to successfully secretly copy and send various sensitive documents on U.S. Navy ships, submarines and weapons to China via courier. In 2008, Chi was sentenced to a 24 and 1/2 year prison term for his espionage activities.
was convicted of being a covert agent of the People's Republic of China in May 2006. He attempted to purchase United States military equipment to send back to China but was arrested by undercover United States agents. Some of the equipment Mr. Moo tried to purchase included an F-16 fighter jet engine, an AGM-129A cruise missile, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter engines, and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.
People's Liberation Army
: Intelligence elements of the PLA include: Second Department or Intelligence Department, Third or Electronic Warfare Department, Fourth Department (focuses on information warfare), General Armaments Department and General Logistics Department (both of which train technical collectors), and the PLA General Political Department.
Political Legal Leading Group: Chinese Communist Party agency under the party's Military Commission (responsible for internal order), whose responsibilities include overseeing intelligence and law enforcement regarding internal affairs.
Investigations Department: Chinese Communist Party agency that is responsible for political investigations of party members.
United Front Works Department: Chinese Communist Party agency that is responsible for handling Chinese who are living in other countries and who are usually citizens of other countries. Works Department personnel are stationed in Chinese embassies and consulates, and attempt to influence important people of Chinese ancestry to follow Chinese Communist Party direction. Works Department Agents also keep an eye on Chinese academics and scientists working in other countries and make sure they eventually go back home to China.
The Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense: Sends agents to foreign countries, including the United States, as employees of front organizations to purchase defense equipment and technologies restricted for export. Examples of Chinese cover organizations include, New Era Corp., Chinese International Trust and Investment Corp., and Poly Technologies.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC) has and is currently using a widespread effort to acquire U.S. military technology
Military technology
Military technology is the collection of equipment, vehicles, structures and communication systems that are designed for use in warfare. It comprises the kinds of technology that are distinctly military in nature and not civilian in application, usually because they are impractical in civilian...
and classified information
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
. To fulfill its long-term military development goals, the PRC uses a variety of methods to obtain U.S. technology; including espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, the exploitation of commercial entities, and a network of scientific, academic, and business contacts. The Chinese operate in ways that take advantage of U.S. laws to avoid prosecution. The PRC uses a vast network of agents and contacts to collect pieces of information that are collated and put together in the PRC. Often each individual piece is not enough to warrant any suspicion or prosecution from U.S. government personnel. The aggressiveness of Chinese penetration is well documented in multiple espionage cases including those of Larry Wu-Tai Chin
Larry Wu-Tai Chin
Larry Wu-tai Chin was a former Chinese language translator working for the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service...
, Katrina Leung
Katrina Leung
Katrina Leung was a former high value Federal Bureau of Investigation and PRC Ministry of State Security agent who, on April 9, 2003, was indicted by the United States Department of Justice for "Unauthorized Copying of National Defense Information with Intent to Injure or Benefit a Foreign...
, Gwo-Bao Min, Chi Mak
Chi Mak
Chi Mak is a naturalized American citizen who worked as an engineer for California-based defense contractor Power Paragon, a part of L-3 Communications. In 2007, Mak was found guilty of conspiring to export sensitive defense technology to China.Mak's defense was that he thought there was nothing...
, and Peter Lee. In addition to traditional espionage, the PRC uses civilian companies to partner with American businesses in order to acquire advanced technology and economic data. Additionally, the PRC utilizes cyber-espionage to penetrate the computer networks of U.S. businesses and government agencies. This is evidenced by a recent Chinese cyber-attack on Google's computer systems
Operation Aurora
Operation Aurora was a cyber attack which began in mid-2009 and continued through December 2009. The attack was first publicly disclosed by Google on January 12, 2010, in a blog post. In the blog post, Google said the attack originated in China...
in December 2009. PRC intelligence operations in the United States have become so pervasive that U.S. law enforcement officials have identified China as the most active foreign power involved in illegal acquisition of American technology.
Methods
The PRC utilizes a variety of methods to operate in the United States. The individuals attempt to acquire the targeted information by utilizing open sources such as libraries, research institutions and unclassified databases. In addition to co-opting Chinese travelers to carry out specific intelligence operational activities, the PRC often debriefs Chinese scientists who participate in scholarly exchange programs, or who attend trade missions, scientific cooperation programs and other similar events. Moreover, the character of the Chinese political system allows the state great power to compel Chinese citizens to cooperate. Consequently, the PRC is able to utilize a vast network of contacts recruited to collect and steal intelligence on cutting edge U.S. technologies, including the most sensitive military developments.Partnerships are started between Chinese civilian companies and foreign companies in order to give Chinese defense industries access to advanced technologies. The regulatory and commercial environment in China places intense pressure on American and other foreign companies to transfer technology to their Chinese partner companies as part of doing business in the PRC. In order to remain globally competitive, foreign companies are almost always willing to provide technology, capital, and manufacturing expertise in order to obtain access to Chinese markets. High-technology equipment is also purchased by PRC recruited agents running front companies in Hong Kong. Some of the items acquired are dual-use components, which can be used for both military or civilian purposes. These items may include computers, semiconductors, software, telecommunications devices, and integrated circuits. Furthermore, the PRC will use Chinese state-run firms to outright purchase American companies with access to the targeted technology.
The PRC also accesses restricted foreign technology through industrial espionage
Industrial espionage
Industrial espionage, economic espionage or corporate espionage is a form of espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of purely national security purposes...
. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have rated China's industrial espionage and theft operations as the leading threat to the security of U.S. technology. Between October 2002 and January 2003 five Chinese businessmen were accused of illegally shipping equipment and trade secrets from California to China. U.S. Officials were able to prevent one Chinese man from shipping a recently purchased high-speed computer from Sandia National Laboratories, which had been used on classified projects including the development of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear espionage
A 1999 report of the United States House of Representatives Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military and Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China, known as the Cox ReportCox Report
The Report of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China, commonly known as the Cox Report after Representative Christopher Cox, is a classified U.S...
, warned that the PRC has stolen classified information on every thermonuclear warhead in the U.S. ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) arsenal. Information is collected through espionage, as well as through rigorous reviews of U.S. technical and academic publications, and pervasive interaction with U.S. scientists. The PRC tasks a large number of individuals to collect small pieces of information which is then collated and analyzed in the PRC. In this way, individual PRC agents can more easily escape suspicion while carrying out their operations in the United States. U.S. Government personnel suspect that the PRC's intelligence collection efforts directed towards the development of modern nuclear weapons to be focused primarily on the Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The PRC is known to have stolen classified information on the following warheads: the W-56 Minuteman II ICBM, the W-62 Minuteman III ICBM, the W-70 Lance short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), the W-76 Trident C-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the W-78 Minuteman III Mark 12A ICBM, the W-87 Peacekeeper ICBM, and the W-88 Trident D-5 SLBM. The PRC also has stolen classified information on U.S. weapons design concepts, weaponization features, and warhead reentry vehicles.
Cyber warfare
The PRC operates a political and corporate espionage effort directed towards accessing the networks of major financial, defense and technology companies, and research institutions in the United States. PRC efforts involve exploiting security flaws in software, and email attachments to sneak into the networks of important U.S. companies and organizations. An example of such an attack, is a recipient opening an email attachment that seems to be from a familiar source. The attachment contains a "sleeper" program that embeds in the recipient's computer. The program is controlled remotely, allowing the attacker to access the recipient's email, send sensitive documents to specific addresses, and even turn on a web camera or microphone to record what is happening in the room. In January 2010, Google reported, "a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google." According to investigators, the Google cyberattack was directed towards the company's password system that millions of people use to access Google's various web services, including email and business applications. The attack targeted the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. In addition to Google, at least 34 companies have been attacked including Yahoo, Symantec, Adobe, Northrop Grumman, and Dow Chemical. Chinese cyberattacks seem to have largely targeted strategic industries in which China is lagging. Specifically, attacks on defense companies target information on weapons systems, and attacks on technology companies seek valuable source code which is critical to software applications. Chinese cyberattacksOperation Aurora
Operation Aurora was a cyber attack which began in mid-2009 and continued through December 2009. The attack was first publicly disclosed by Google on January 12, 2010, in a blog post. In the blog post, Google said the attack originated in China...
have emphasized what senior U.S. Government officials have said is an increasingly serious cyber threat to U.S. critical industries.
Larry Wu-Tai Chin
Larry Wu-Tai ChinLarry Wu-Tai Chin
Larry Wu-tai Chin was a former Chinese language translator working for the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service...
worked in the U.S. intelligence community for close to 35 years, all the while providing the PRC with sensitive classified information. Chin was recruited as a spy by a Chinese Communist Official in 1948, while he was employed as an interpreter at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. Chin was later hired by the CIA’s Foreign Broadcast Information Service office. After becoming an American Citizen in 1965, Chin was transferred to Arlington, Virginia, where he had access to highly sensitive information; including reports from intelligence agents abroad, and translations of documents acquired by CIA Officers in China. In addition, Chin sold highly classified National Intelligence Estimates pertaining to China and Southeast Asia to the PRC. Consequently, the PRC was able to uncover weaknesses in their intelligence agencies, and compromise U.S. intelligence activities in the region. Among the most damaging information Chin compromised, was highly sensitive information regarding President Nixon’s plans for normalizing relations with China two years before President Nixon traveled to China. In February 1986, Larry Wu-Tai Chin was finally convicted of 17 counts of espionage, conspiracy, and tax evasion.
Katrina Leung
In 1982 FBI Special Agent James Smith recruited LeungKatrina Leung
Katrina Leung was a former high value Federal Bureau of Investigation and PRC Ministry of State Security agent who, on April 9, 2003, was indicted by the United States Department of Justice for "Unauthorized Copying of National Defense Information with Intent to Injure or Benefit a Foreign...
, then a 28-year-old immigrant from China, to work in Chinese counterespionage. Leung, a prominent business consultant, was seen as especially valuable due to the many contacts she had with high level officials in the Chinese Government. Smith and Leung became involved in a long-term sexual affair lasting nearly two decades. During this time, Smith made classified documents available to Leung, who was able to surreptitiously make copies of multiple classified documents. Leung was able to provide the PRC with information on nuclear, military, and political issues. Another FBI agent, William Cleveland, also became sexually involved with Leung. Leung was able to exploit her personal relationships with her FBI handlers and provide the PRC with highly sensitive information for 18 years.
Peter Lee
Lee was a Chinese born physicist who worked at Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory, and later for TRW, a major California defense contractor. Lee pleaded guilty to lying on Security Clearance forms, and to passing classified national defense information to Chinese scientists on business trips to Beijing. Lee compromised classified weapons information, microwave submarine detection technology, and other national defense data. Later the Department of Energy concluded that Lee's disclosure of classified information, "was of significant material assistance to the PRC in their nuclear weapons development program...This analysis indicated that Dr. Lee's activities have directly enhanced the PRC nuclear weapons program to the detriment of U.S. national security."Chi Mak
Chi MakChi Mak
Chi Mak is a naturalized American citizen who worked as an engineer for California-based defense contractor Power Paragon, a part of L-3 Communications. In 2007, Mak was found guilty of conspiring to export sensitive defense technology to China.Mak's defense was that he thought there was nothing...
is a Chinese-born engineer who worked for L-3 Communications, a California based defense contractor. Chi worked as a support engineer on Navy quiet drive propulsion technology. According to recovered documents, Chi was instructed by his Chinese contacts to join "more professional associations and participate in more seminars with 'special subject matters' and to compile special conference materials on disk." Specifically, Chi was to seek information on: space-based electromagnetic intercept systems, space-launched magnetic levitation platforms, electromagnetic gun or artillery systems, submarine torpedoes, electromagnetic launch systems, aircraft carrier electronic systems, water jet propulsion, ship submarine propulsion, power system configuration technology, weapons system modularization, technologies to defend against nuclear attack, shipboard electromagnetic motor systems, shipboard internal and external communications systems, and information on the next generation of US destroyers. Chi Mak was able to successfully secretly copy and send various sensitive documents on U.S. Navy ships, submarines and weapons to China via courier. In 2008, Chi was sentenced to a 24 and 1/2 year prison term for his espionage activities.
Ko-Suen "Bill" Moo
Ko-Suen MooMoo Ko-Suen
Ko-Suen 'Bill' Moo, a South Korean businessman was convicted of being a covert agent of the People's Republic of China in May 2006. He attempted to purchase United States military equipment to send back to China but was arrested by undercover United States agents. Some of the equipment Mr...
was convicted of being a covert agent of the People's Republic of China in May 2006. He attempted to purchase United States military equipment to send back to China but was arrested by undercover United States agents. Some of the equipment Mr. Moo tried to purchase included an F-16 fighter jet engine, an AGM-129A cruise missile, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter engines, and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.
Chinese intelligence-gathering agencies
Ministry of State Security: Formerly a bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, it was raised to Ministry status in June 1983. MSS is the principal Chinese agency responsible for intelligence collection and counterintelligence. According to Western intelligence sources, MSS operates intelligence activities in more than 170 cities in close to 50 countries through its Foreign Affairs Bureau. MSS reach beyond China allows it to pursue Chinese dissidents in foreign countries and establish cover for Chinese diplomats and agents who are planted among the 15,000 Chinese students who attend U.S. universities, as well as thousands of Chinese who travel to the U.S. as business representatives, or members of scientific, academic, and cultural delegations.People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
: Intelligence elements of the PLA include: Second Department or Intelligence Department, Third or Electronic Warfare Department, Fourth Department (focuses on information warfare), General Armaments Department and General Logistics Department (both of which train technical collectors), and the PLA General Political Department.
Political Legal Leading Group: Chinese Communist Party agency under the party's Military Commission (responsible for internal order), whose responsibilities include overseeing intelligence and law enforcement regarding internal affairs.
Investigations Department: Chinese Communist Party agency that is responsible for political investigations of party members.
United Front Works Department: Chinese Communist Party agency that is responsible for handling Chinese who are living in other countries and who are usually citizens of other countries. Works Department personnel are stationed in Chinese embassies and consulates, and attempt to influence important people of Chinese ancestry to follow Chinese Communist Party direction. Works Department Agents also keep an eye on Chinese academics and scientists working in other countries and make sure they eventually go back home to China.
The Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense: Sends agents to foreign countries, including the United States, as employees of front organizations to purchase defense equipment and technologies restricted for export. Examples of Chinese cover organizations include, New Era Corp., Chinese International Trust and Investment Corp., and Poly Technologies.
Various case histories
- In 2007, McAfee, Inc.McAfeeMcAfee, Inc. is a computer security company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. It markets software and services to home users, businesses and the public sector. On August 19, 2010, electronics company Intel agreed to purchase McAfee for $7.68 billion...
alleged that ChinaChinese intelligence activity in other countriesChinese intelligence is believed to be highly active outside of the People's Republic of China. China is the largest intelligence collector in the Netherlands, as well as in several other EU countries, and one of the top five intelligence collectors in the United States...
was actively involved in "cyberwar." China was accused of cyber-attacks on India, Germany, and the United States, although they denied knowledge of these attacks. China has the highest number of computers vulnerable to be controlled, owing at least partially to the large population.
- On March 28, 2009, a cyber spy network, dubbed GhostNetGhostNetGhostNet is the name given by researchers at the Information Warfare Monitor to a large-scale cyber spying operation discovered in March 2009. The operation is likely associated with an Advanced Persistent Threat...
, using servers mainly based in China has tapped into classified documents from government and private organizations in 103 countries, including the computers of TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an exiles, but China denies the claim.
- In December 2009 through January 2010, a cyber attack, dubbed Operation AuroraOperation AuroraOperation Aurora was a cyber attack which began in mid-2009 and continued through December 2009. The attack was first publicly disclosed by Google on January 12, 2010, in a blog post. In the blog post, Google said the attack originated in China...
, was launched from China against GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and over 20 other companies. Google said the attacks originated from China and that it would "review the feasibility" of its business operations in China following the incident. According to Google, at least 20 other companies in various sectors had been targeted by the attacks. McAfee spokespersons claim that "this is the highest profile attack of its kind that we have seen in recent memory."
See also
- Cyberwarfare in the United StatesCyberwarfare in the United StatesCyberwarfare in the United States is the United States Cyber Commands military strategy of proactive cyber defence and the use of cyberwarfare as a platform for attack. The United States Department of Defense sees the use of computers and the Internet to conduct warfare in cyberspace as a threat...
- Cox ReportCox ReportThe Report of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China, commonly known as the Cox Report after Representative Christopher Cox, is a classified U.S...
- Gregg BergersenGregg BergersenGregg William Bergersen was a weapons systems policy analyst for the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency. A director of C4ISR programs, he was found guilty of spying for the People's Republic of China...
- Chinese intelligence activity in other countriesChinese intelligence activity in other countriesChinese intelligence is believed to be highly active outside of the People's Republic of China. China is the largest intelligence collector in the Netherlands, as well as in several other EU countries, and one of the top five intelligence collectors in the United States...
- Katrina LeungKatrina LeungKatrina Leung was a former high value Federal Bureau of Investigation and PRC Ministry of State Security agent who, on April 9, 2003, was indicted by the United States Department of Justice for "Unauthorized Copying of National Defense Information with Intent to Injure or Benefit a Foreign...
- Chi MakChi MakChi Mak is a naturalized American citizen who worked as an engineer for California-based defense contractor Power Paragon, a part of L-3 Communications. In 2007, Mak was found guilty of conspiring to export sensitive defense technology to China.Mak's defense was that he thought there was nothing...
- Larry Wu-Tai ChinLarry Wu-Tai ChinLarry Wu-tai Chin was a former Chinese language translator working for the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service...
- Economic and Industrial EspionageIndustrial espionageIndustrial espionage, economic espionage or corporate espionage is a form of espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of purely national security purposes...
- Operation AuroraOperation AuroraOperation Aurora was a cyber attack which began in mid-2009 and continued through December 2009. The attack was first publicly disclosed by Google on January 12, 2010, in a blog post. In the blog post, Google said the attack originated in China...
- Google ChinaGoogle ChinaGoogle China is a subsidiary of Google, Inc., the world's largest Internet search engine company. Google China ranks as the number 2 search engine in the People's Republic of China, after Baidu...
- GhostNetGhostNetGhostNet is the name given by researchers at the Information Warfare Monitor to a large-scale cyber spying operation discovered in March 2009. The operation is likely associated with an Advanced Persistent Threat...
- Counter-intelligenceCounter-intelligenceCounterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
External links
- United States and Canadian computer security researchers monitor a Chinese cyber-spying operation, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/science/06cyber.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
- Chinese coordinated assault on the email accounts of journalists, academics, and human rights activists, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/world/asia/31china.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
- Google decides to lift censorship in China, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8582233.stm
- More journalists have their email accounts hacked, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/technology/companies/19google.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
- Google reaction to Chinese cyber attack, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8455712.stm
- More examples of how China steals U.S. Military Secrets, http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/3319656
- Britain warns businesses of the Chinese spying threat, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/world/europe/01spy.html
- Vast Chinese espionage campaign, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/13/AR2010011300359.html?sid=ST2010011300360
- Chinese spy buys Pentagon secrets, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/25/60minutes/main6242498.shtml