Among countless other revelations in government documents released during the weekend on WikiLeaks is a cable that shows China was behind a security breach into Google’s Gmail system in that country. The cable was sent by the U.S. Embassy in China to Washington, reporting it knew of a “Chinese contact” who confirmed the government’s role in the attack.
Other cables say Chinese government operatives have conducted security breaches of computers operated by the governments of the U.S. and its allies, as well as by the Dalai Lama and American companies, for at least eight years. The cables demonstrate a concerted sabotage campaign since 2002 by the Chinese government, including individual computer experts under the direction of the government.
China Blocking News About Cables
The WikiLeaks web site has released about 250,000 American diplomatic cables going back three years. Selections from the documents are being published by The New York Times and other media.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the Chinese government is trying to block any reports about the WikiLeaks cables inside that country.
On Jan. 12, Google threatened to pull its operations out of China because of a cyberattack it said had origins in China. The company said it had found many attempts to hack into the Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights activists. Outside security researchers, including some at McAfee, said the attacks involved systems in Taiwan, China and the U.S.
At the time, a Chinese government spokesperson said any “accusation that the Chinese government participated in a cyberattack, either in an explicit or inexplicit way, is groundless and aims to denigrate China.”
Also at the time, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced Internet censorship and named China specifically. She also said “countries or individuals that engage in cyberattacks should face consequences and international condemnation,” although she didn’t mention China specifically…