The U.S. for the first time is publicly warning about the Chinese military’s use of civilian computer experts in clandestine cyber attacks aimed at American companies and government agencies.
In a move that is being seen as a pointed signal to Beijing, the Pentagon laid out its concerns this week in a carefully worded report.
The People’s Liberation Army, the Pentagon said, is using “information warfare units” to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks, and those units include civilian computer professionals.
The assertion shines a light on a quandary that has troubled American authorities for some time: How does the U.S. deal with cyber espionage emanating from China and almost certainly directed by the government — despite the fact that U.S. officials don’t have or can’t show proof of those ties?
Asked about the civilian hackers, a Defense Department spokesman said the Pentagon is concerned about any potential threat to its computer networks. The Pentagon, said Cmdr. Bob Mehal, will monitor the PLA’s buildup of its cyberwarfare capabilities, and “will continue to develop capabilities to counter any potential threat.”
The new warning also comes as U.S. and other international leaders are struggling to improve cooperation on global cybercrime and set guidelines for Internet oversight.
“The Chinese government, particularly the PLA, has sought to tap into the hacker community and take advantage of it,” said cybersecurity expert James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “One of the things that the Defense Department has been looking for is a way to start signaling potential opponents about activities that might cross the line in cyberspace.”
The China report, he said, is one way to send that signal to Beijing.
The Pentagon report says that last year “numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be…