Case Based in China Puts a Face on Persistent Hacking

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/technology/hacking-in-asia-is-linked-to-chinese-ex-graduate-student.html

By NICOLE PERLROTH
The New York Times
March 29, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO - A breach of computers belonging to companies in Japan 
and India and to Tibetan activists has been linked to a former graduate 
student at a Chinese university - putting a face on the persistent 
espionage by Chinese hackers against foreign companies and groups.

The attacks were connected to an online alias, according to a report to 
be released on Friday by Trend Micro, a computer security firm with 
headquarters in Tokyo.

The owner of the alias, according to online records, is Gu Kaiyuan, a 
former graduate student at Sichuan University, in Chengdu, China, which 
receives government financing for its research in computer network 
defense.

Mr. Gu is now apparently an employee at Tencent, China’s leading 
Internet portal company, also according to online records. According to 
the report, he may have recruited students to work on the university’s 
research involving computer attacks and defense.

The researchers did not link the attacks directly to government-employed 
hackers. But security experts and other researchers say the techniques 
and the victims point to a state-sponsored campaign.

[...]

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