Chinese hackers attack SafeDarfur.org

For the second time in two weeks we’re learning about Chinese hackers doing its government’s dirty work:

The FBI has opened a preliminary investigation of a report that China-based hackers have penetrated the e-mail accounts of leaders and members of the Save Darfur Coalition, a national advocacy group pushing to end the six-year-old conflict in Sudan…The intruders, said coalition spokesman M. Allyn Brooks-LaSure, “seemed intent on subversively monitoring, probing and disrupting coalition activities.” He said Web site logs and e-mails showed Internet protocol addresses that were traced to China.

These hackers are probably freelance and not officially part of the Chinese government. However, the hackers interviewed by CNN last week said that “they are sometimes paid secretly by the Chinese government” to access Pentagon and other defense networks in Europe. Thus there is some evidence to suggest that Beijing is supporting these attacks.

With that in mind, the Save Darfur Coalition has sought to expose China’s role in prolonging the crisis in Sudan:

The coalition, headquartered in Washington, has been a vocal critic of China’s support for the Sudanese government and its refusal to allow anyone to pressure Khartoum to end the conflict. The group has urged China — Sudan’s chief diplomatic sponsor, major weapons provider and largest foreign investor and trade partner — to use its position as a member of the U.N. Security Council to bring peace to the region.

It’s definitely not an air tight case considering the above circumstantial evidence. Nevertheless, Chinese hacking is a trend that is emerging.

See Also:

+ China pimping arms in Africa