News / Politics
China Denies Accusations of Hacking Pentagon's Computers
The Chinese government denied claims Tuesday that they hacked into the Pentagon computers.
The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that the People Liberation Army hacked into a computer system in the office of Defense Secretary Robert Gates in June. The breach was enough to shut down the computer system for more than a week.
"Some people make groundless accusations against China" that its military attacked the Pentagon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing.
"China has all along been opposed to and forbids criminal activities undermining computer networks, including hacking," she said. "China is ready to strengthen cooperation with other countries, including the U.S., in countering Internet crimes."
The Financial Times also reported that the Pentagon is investigating how much information was stolen, but again citing an unnamed source who said that most of the information was probably unclassified.
On Wednesday, London's The Guardian newspaper reported that Chinese hackers launched online assaults against the network at the Britain's Parliament and the Foreign Office. The Guardian also cited anonymous government officials.
The British government, its Ministry of Defense and its Foreign Office declined comment. The Chinese Embassy in London could not be reached for comment.
The claims mark the latest times that China was accused of hacking into a foreign government's computers. The night before German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Beijing last week, the weekly Der Spiegel said computers at the Chancellery and three ministries had been infected with spy programs called Trojans.
The Financial Times report, which again did not specify its sources, said Germany's domestic intelligence agency believed a group of hackers associated with the People's Liberation Army might have been behind the alleged hacking.
The Pentagon warned earlier this year that China's army is emphasizing hacking as an offensive weapon, despite what the Chinese portray. It cited Chinese military exercises in 2005 that included hacking "primarily in first strikes against enemy networks."
Experts have said that China is home to a large number of insecure computers and networks that hackers in other countries could use to disguise their locations and launch attacks.
