CHINA TOPIX

11/23/2024 04:50:22 am

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China Tells US to Stop Hacking and Stealing Secrets; What We Know so far

China tells US this time to stop spying and hacking.

(Photo : Getty Images) China tells US this time to stop spying and hacking.

China on Thursday asked the US government to stop spying and hacking other countries, after WikiLeaks data alleged that the CIA can hack all manners of devices, including China-made ones.

Geng Shuang, the spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry, expressed concern about the surrounding reports and reiterated opposition to all kinds of hacking. "We urge the US side to stop listening in, monitoring, stealing secrets and internet hacking against China and other countries," Geng said in a news briefing.

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According to Reuters, several companies quickly attempted to spot the weak points after the WikiLeaks news broke, while some called to delve into the details of the US intelligence community's whereabouts and motives.

Routers from Silicon Valley-based Cisco were included as a target in the WikiLeaks data. Cisco says its routers provide "strong security and services to enterprise, service providers, and industrial networks." China's Huawei and ZTE and Taiwan's Zyxel used in China and Pakistan are also listed.

The United States and other countries frequently accuse China of hacking attacks, something the mainland has always denied.

China has developed its own surveillance system and tightly controls the Internet use within its territory, saying such moves are needed to protect national security and preserve stability. Last year, it started tightening its belt on both local and foreign firms by requiring them to host corporate data exclusively on Chinese servers. Moreover, hardware, network equipment, and other services also need to get accreditation from local authorities before they are used or sold in the country.

"China is trying to have more control over cybersecurity technology, which is not something that's ever done to increase the quality of cyber security," John Pescatore, director of SANS security, said.

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