Hackers in China Attacked the New York Times

Hackers attacked the New York Times after the newspaper reported on an investigation suggesting that relatives of former Premier Wen Jiabao had accumulated a fortune of billions while he was in office, a report based on public US records. The hackers routed the attacks through US universities, sending malware to individuals, before entering the system and obtaining passwords. Computer security at the newspaper has since been restored. The attacks could be part of a broad internet espionage campaign aimed at governments, universities, activists, media: “The intelligence-gathering campaign, foreign policy experts and computer security researchers say, is as much about trying to control China’s public image, domestically and abroad, as it is about stealing trade secrets,” reports the Times. The newspaper alerted the monitor of its network, AT&T, before the series was published and tracked the hackers. The attack was organized, with hackers typically starting 8 am Beijing time and putting in a full day of work. – YaleGlobal